The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was established on March 25th, 1839, when Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon was under the British rule. The then Governor, the Rt. Hon. J A Stewart Mackenzie, was keenly interested in promoting agriculture and trade in Ceylon. It was on his initiative that the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was formed. A meeting was held on February 20th 1839 by a considerable number of the mercantile community favourable to the establishment of a Chamber of Commerce in the island of Ceylon. It was unanimously resolved as a preliminary measure that five of the gentlemen present should be requested to form a Committee for framing an estimate and drawing up certain rules and regulations, which when submitted and approved might form the ground work of the institution. The General Meeting of thirteen representatives of the mercantile community was held on March 25th, 1839 at the Corner House of Prince Street. With the adoption of the rules and regulations of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the first Chamber was established in Sri Lanka. Subsequently in 1895 the Chamber was incorporated by the then Legislative Council under the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Ordinance No. 10 of 1895.