Raffles, Sir Thomas Stamford

(1781–1826)

   As a scholar, colonial administrator, and founder of Singapore, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles played an important role in creating the British Empire in the Far East. While serving with the East India Company in Penang, Raffles came to the attention of Lord Minto, governor-general of India, owing to his expertise in local history, language and culture, and was asked to participate in an expedition to take Java from the Dutch in 1811. Raffles later served as lieutenant governor of Java from 1811–1816, where he concentrated on reforming local administration, taxes, and land tenure.

   In 1817, he was knighted and returned to Asia as lieutenant governor of Bencoolen, a small port in western Sumatra. The following year he convinced his superiors to authorize a new British settlement at the southeastern end of the Malacca Straits to ensure British access to vital trade routes. Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, signed treaties with local rulers placing them under British protection, and over the next several years was instrumental in turning it into a major British port. Two years before his death, Raffles retired from colonial service and returned to England where he helped found the London Zoo and continued his career as an Asian scholar.

   FURTHER READING:

    Alatas, Syed Hussein. Thomas Stamford Raffles, 1781–1826: Schemer or Reformer? Singapore: Angus and Robinson, 1971;

    Collis, Maurice. Raffles. London: Century, 1988;

    Stewart, R.M.J. “Raffles of Singapore: The Man and the Legacy.” Asian Affairs 13 (1982): 16–27.

   KENNETH J. OROSZ