4. Sir Charles Henry de Soysa made a fortune in tea plantations and then transformed Ceylon through his generous giving
Not all the great 19th century philanthropists were American industrialists. Sir Charles Henry de Soysa was an entrepreneur and planter from Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) who used his significant wealth to improve the lot of the island’s people. Even today, he is regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s greatest ever individuals, remembered just as much for his charitable giving as for his astute business mind.
Born in 1836, De Sosya’s father was one of Ceylon’s most notable merchants. As a young boy, he served as an apprentice in the family business, learning how to manage estates and oversee international trades. According to many accounts, his benevolent nature was apparent from the start. Indeed, despite his status, he treated his employees fairly, unlike many estate managers on the island. With his apprenticeship under his belt, De Soysa went it alone. He invested in tea plantations, up until that point the preserve of Europeans, and then he diversified into producing everything from rice to rubber. He also invested in graphite mining and in both commercial and residential property.
By the time he was in his 30s, De Soysa was a very wealthy man indeed. Far from living the playboy lifestyle, however, he wanted to use his fortune to develop his homeland. To begin with, he focused on child mortality. He funded the construction of a maternity hospital and paid for specialist midwives. He also gave generously to numerous clinics and hospitals on the island. At the same time, De Soysa also set up free schools for the island’s children. Indeed, he was credited with looking after Ceylon’s people “from the womb to the tomb”.
De Soysa died in 1890 at the age of just 54. In recognition of his philanthropy, he was made Ceylon’s first Knight Bachelor and the legacy of generous paternalism can be seen almost everywhere in Sri Lanka today, from its hospitals and schools right through to its political parties.