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Thomas Stamford Raffles
Photo: George Francis Joseph, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons17

Thomas Stamford Raffles

British colonial official (1781–1826)

Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British colonial official who served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. Raffles was involved in the capture of the Indonesian island of Java from the Dutch during the Napoleonic Wars.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Thomas Stamford Raffles (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jul 5, 1781, died Jul 5, 1826.1

About

It was returned under the Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1824. He also wrote The History of Java in 1817, describing the history of the island from ancient times. The Rafflesia flowers were named after him.

Raffles also played a role in further establishing the British Empire's reach in East and Southeast Asia. He secured control over the strategically located Singapore from local rulers in 1819 to secure British access along the Strait of Singapore and the nearby seas in the region, particularly the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. His actions were initially not endorsed by the British government and led to tensions between the British and the Dutch. The Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1824 established their respective spheres of influence, the Dutch relinquishing their claims to Singapore while the British ceded Bencoolen to them. A transshipment port was subsequently established in Singapore for maritime trade between Europe and Asia.

While Raffles was largely credited for the founding of contemporary Singapore, the early running of day-to-day operations was mostly done by William Farquhar, who served as the first Resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823. Raffles returned to England in 1824 and died on his 45th birthday in 1826. In Singapore, his legacy is commemorated by the Raffles's Landing Site and the use of his name for numerous national institutions. However, his historical role has become a subject of public debate, with critics characterising him as an imperialist. These perspectives argue that celebratory narratives of colonialism can overlook the history of the population that predated his arrival.

From Wikipedia’s article on Thomas Stamford Raffles, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

Education

Raffles College – currently National University of Singapore (NUS)

Raffles Girls' Primary School

Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)

Raffles Institution (Secondary and Junior College)

Stamford Primary School, formerly Stamford Girls' School

Stamford American International School

From Wikipedia’s article on Thomas Stamford Raffles (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: scientific collector, ornithologist, botanical collector, abolitionist, traveler, botanist, politician, colonial administrator.7

  • Date not recordedFounded Zoological Society of London3
  • Date not recordedFounded Singapore Botanic Gardens4
  • Date not recordedFounded Raffles Institution5
  • Date not recordedGovernor-General of the Dutch East Indies6

Known for: The History of Java.8

Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles was born on (1781-07-05)5 July 1781 on board the ship Ann, off the coast of Port Morant, Jamaica, to Captain Benjamin Raffles and Anne Raffles (née Lyde). Benjamin served as a ship master for various ships engaged in the direct trade between England and the West Indies. Although some biographers have suggested that Benjamin was involved in the slave trade, modern historians have refuted such claims. When Benjamin ended his involvement in the West India trade in 1800, it caused his family considerable hardship. He was a Free Mason. The little money the family had went into sending the young Raffles to the Mansion House Academy, Hammersmith, a moderately priced boarding school, offering Latin, Greek, French, arithmetic, bookkeeping and geography, that specialised in preparing boys for clerkships or the army. In 1795, at the age of 14, Raffles started working in London as a clerk for the East India Company. Nine years later, in 1804, the 23-year-old Raffles married Olivia Mariamne Devenish, a widow 10 years his senior, who was formerly married to Jacob Cassivelaun Fancourt, an assistant surgeon in Madras, who had died in 1800.

In 1805, he was sent to Penang Island in British Malaya, starting his long association with Southeast Asia. He started as assistant secretary, under Philip Dundas, the new governor of Penang. At this time, he also made the acquaintance of Thomas Otho Travers, who would accompany him for the next 20 years.

Business

Raffles Holdings

Raffles Medical Group

Yantai Raffles Shipyard

From Wikipedia’s article on Thomas Stamford Raffles (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornJul 5, 1781, Jamaica9 10
  • DiedJul 5, 1826, London11
  • CitizenshipUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland12
  • ResidenceLondon13
  • SpousesOlivia Mariamne Devenish married 180514; Sophia, Lady Raffles married 181714

Awards

  • Date not recordedFellow of the Royal Society15
  • Date not recordedKnight Bachelor15

Sources

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