Junius Richard Jayewardene (,; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the leader of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1989, serving as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1978 and as the second President of Sri Lanka from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence. A longtime member of the United National Party, he led it to a crushing victory in 1977 and served as Prime Minister for half a year before becoming the country's first executive president under an amended constitution.