| Honorific Prefix: | Hon. |
| A. P. Jayasuriya | |
| Office: | Minister of Health |
| Primeminister: | Wijeyananda Dahanayake |
| Term Start: | 23 July 1960 |
| Term End: | May 1963 |
| Predecessor: | M. V. P. Peiris |
| Successor: | Badi-ud-din Mahmud |
| Primeminister1: | Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| Term Start1: | 26 September 1959 |
| Term End1: | 8 December 1959 |
| Predecessor1: | Vimala Wijewardene |
| Successor1: | M. V. P. Peiris |
| Term Start2: | 1947 |
| Term End2: | 1951 |
| Order3: | Senator of Ceylon |
| Term Start3: | 20 October 1956 |
| Term End3: | 28 September 1971 |
| Constituency Mp4: | Horana |
| Parliament4: | Ceylon |
| Term Start4: | 14 October 1947 |
| Term End4: | 30 May 1952 |
| Predecessor4: | Constituency Created |
| Successor4: | M. D. H. Jayawardena |
| Office5: | State Council of Ceylon |
| Term Start5: | 25 February 1936 |
| Term End5: | 1947 |
| Predecessor5: | E. W. Perera |
| Birth Name: | Alexander Perera Jayasuriya |
| Birth Date: | 1 November 1901 |
| Birth Place: | Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) |
| Death Place: | Horana |
| Nationality: | Sri Lankan |
| Party: | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (After 1951) United National Party (Before 1951) |
| Relations: | John Perera Jayasuriya (father) |
| Alma Mater: | University of London Royal College, Colombo Sri Sumangala College, Panadura |
| Profession: | Barrister |
Alexander Perera Jayasuriya (1 November 1901 – 28 August 1980) was a Ceylonese politician. He was a Minister of Health, Senator and Member of Parliament. He was one of the founders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.[1] [2]
Jayasuriya was educated at Sri Sumangala College in Panadura and then Royal College, Colombo. He traveled to England in 1922 where he studied law. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1926 as an Barrister.[3] He returned to Ceylon and practiced law as an Advocate.[4]
On 25 February 1936, Jayasuriya was elected to the State Council of Ceylon, representing Horana.[5] Following the dissolution of the State Council Jayasuriya contested the 1st parliamentary elections, held between 23 August 1947 and 20 September 1947, for the Horana electorate on behalf of the United National Party. He won the seat with 15,828 votes (45%).[6] Jayasuriya was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. In 1951 he crossed over to the opposition with S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).[7] [8]
He contested the seat of Agalawatte as the SLFP candidate at the 2nd parliamentary election, held between 24 May 1952 and 30 May 1952. He was unsuccessful, polling 3,480 votes (12.5%), finishing third to C. W. W. Kannangara, the United National Party candidate, with 13,659 votes (49%) and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party candidate, S. A. Silva, with 6,627 votes (24%).[9]
In October 1956, he was elected to the Senate and appointed Minister of Home Affairs by Prime Minister Bandaranaike.[10] [11] In 1959 after the assassination of Bandaranaike he was appointed Minister of Health by Prime Minister Wijeyananda Dahanayake.[12] In July 1960, Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike re-appointed him as minister of health.[13] In 1970 he was elected Leader of the Senate and lost his seat when his government abolished the Senate that year. He served as Senior Vice President of SLFP until his death in 1980.