Rajapaksa was born on 5 November 1906 in a hamlet called Madamulana and had his early education at Mandaduva School in Weerakatiya. His father Don David Rajapaksa, who held the post of Vidane Arachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, sent him for secondary education to Richmond College, Galle. Having completed his education, he helped his father managing the family estate, which consisted of paddy fields and coconut plantations. He also helped his elder brother Don Mathew, who was the State Councillor for Hambantota in attending to affairs of the electorate, gaining experience in politics. On his brother's death, Rajapakse was nevertheless reluctant to contest the Hambantota seat at the by-election of 1945. Nevertheless, the politically influential people in the area insisted that he should contest the by-election and were finally successful in dragging him into active politics. He won the seat at the by-election and was included in the Committee on Agriculture and Land in the State Council. This gave him a good opportunity to tackle the problem of landlessness of the peasantry of Giruvapattuva. Rajapaksa adopted a 99-year lease scheme to transfer crown land to landless peasants in plots. For the middle income earners, the land extending from 10 to was alienated in the same manner. These measures in fact gave a boost to the paddy and coconut cultivations in Giruva Pattuva. When the first parliamentary general elections were held in 1947 under the new constitution, the former Hambantota electorate was divided into two, namely, Beliatta and Tissamaharama electorate. Most of Western Giruva Pattuva was included in the Beliatta electorate. Rajapaksa contested in Beliatta on the United National Party ticket and won the sesat. When S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, disgruntled over the policies of the United National Party, left the party to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1951, Several parliamentarians, including Rajapaksa, Herbert Sri Nissanka and D. S. Goonesekera, followed S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike when he crossed the floor of the House to the Opposition benches on 12 July 1951. The Rajapaksas supported Bandaranaike at the general elections of 1952, winning the Beliatta electorate for the SLFP. Later on, in the historic general elections of 1956, Rajapaksa was elected member of parliament for Beliatta and appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Lands and Land Development. In 1959 he was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Lands by Prime Minister Wijeyananda Dahanayake. Rajapaksa's ups and downs in the political arena are follow those of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the time. At the general election of 1960, when the SLFP was defeated and the UNP formed a government, Rajapaksa too lost his seat. But when the UNP government was dissolved and the parliamentary elections were held for the second time in July of the same year, Rajapaksa once again emerged victorious at Beliatta and was an inspiration to the government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike. He was appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees in Parliament and subsequently Deputy Speaker. When the SLFP lost to the Dudley Senanayake – led UNP in the 1965 elections, DA again lost his parliamentary seat. At the defeat in the 1965 general elections, Rajapaksa not only lost his political power but was also devoid of material wealth. During this period all his children, Chamal, Mahinda, Basil, Gothabhaya and Chandra were studying in Colombo and he found it difficult to meet their expenses. He sold his vehicle, leased his coconut lands and went through enormous hardships to sustain the family. When he fell seriously ill in November 1967, there was no vehicle nearby to take him to hospital. When transport was arranged belatedly his heart condition had worsened. After admission to hospital, he died 7 November 1967.
Family
Don David Rajapaksa Vidanarachchi He held the colonial post of Vidane Arachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, Giruvapattuva in the Hambantota District. Don Mathew Rajapaksa State councillor for Hambantota District Don Alwin Rajapaksa He was one of the founder members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was also a Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet Minister.
Family Tree
1. Don David Rajapaksa Vidanarachchi + Dona Gimara Weerakoon Ratnayake
