E. J. Cooray

{{Short description|Ceylonese politician}}

{{More footnotes needed|date=July 2020}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = Hon.

|name = Edmund J. Cooray

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|honorific-suffix = CMG, OBE

|image = File:Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth Nations, at Windsor Castle (1960 Commonwealth Prime Minister's Conference).jpg

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|caption = Queen Elizabeth II and Commonwealth leaders including E. J. Cooray, taken at the 1960 Commonwealth Conference, Windsor Castle.

|order =

|office = Minister of Justice

|term_start = 23 March 1960

|term_end = 21 July 1960

|primeminister = Dudley Senanayake

|predecessor = Valentine S. Jayawickrema

|successor = Sam Peter Christopher Fernando

|birth_date = {{birth date|1915|11|3}}

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|death_date = {{death date and age|2016|1|1|1915|11|3}}

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|profession = Barrister

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Edmund Joseph Cooray, CMG, OBE (November 3, 1915 - January 1, 2016) was a Ceylonese Senator and one time Minister of Justice in the Second Dudley Senanayake cabinet.{{cite web|last=Rajasingham|first=K T|title=Chapter 17: Assassination of Bandaranaike|url=http://atimes.com/ind-pak/Cl01Df05.html|publisher=atimes.com|access-date=8 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030940/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/Cl01Df05.html|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=unfit}} He attended the 1960 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in London on behalf of the Dominion of Ceylon.{{cite video|url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/commonwealth-conference-2|title=Commonwealth Conference 1960|publisher=British Pathé}}

He having graduated with a BA from the University of London, he qualified as a barrister and established his legal practice as an advocate. He was a lecturer for digest and voet at the Ceylon Law College. He served as the Commissioner of Co-operative Development and thereafter chairman, Co-operative Wholesale Establishment. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1952 Birthday Honours and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1955 Birthday Honours for his services to the co-operative movement.{{cite book |title=Fergusons Ceylon Directory |publisher=historyofceylontea.lk |url=https://www.historyofceylontea.com/ceylon-publications/fergusons-directory/1957-fergusons-ceylon-directory/pdf/resources/1957-fergusons-ceylon-directory.pdf |access-date=10 July 2020}}