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For other uses of Farquhar, see Farquhar (disambiguation)

William Farquhar (1774 – 1839) was an employee of the East India Company. Farquhar was born near Aberdeen, and joined the British East India Company as a cadet when he was 20. He was born in Perth, Scotland, and died there too.

An engineer, his reputation was established by his long and successful term as Resident of Malacca, of which he was given charge when it passed into British hands from the Dutch. A task given him by the British Government was to demolish all the structures left by the former occupants; he blew up the fortifications with gunpowder but spared some of the other buildings, showing great foresight.

Raffles chose him to help locate the best place for a new trading center, and after some searching they decided on what is now Singapore but was then a wilderness, and obtained it from the local ruler. Raffles left Col. Farquhar to develop the colony according to a specific plan he had drawn up, but Farquhar took a more laissez-faire approach, which suited the local traders who had followed him there (Farquhar had a Malay wife and family and was well-liked in the region) and contributed to the rapid growth of the post.

He is a historical figure of Singapore. One of the men who founded the island city along with Stamford Raffles, he was left to manage the colony when Raffles left — an absence eventually lasting four years. He was appointed the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore, 1819–1823. Farquhar died in Perth, Scotland.

However, when Raffles returned, he was furious to discover his plans had been neglected and that moreover local vices such as the trading of opium and slaves were being tolerated. He then dismissed Farquhar, who at first refused to leave, and later sued Raffles for tyrannical behaviour; Farquhar was awarded the rank of Major General, and retired to Perth, Scotland, in 1829, where he bought two large recently completed Georgian houses (one for his brother, a naval Captain) and built a billiard hall for the entertainment of his many friends. He married again, and died in 1839. His mausoleum in Greyfriars Churchyard is one of the most splendid there and bears witness to his popularity.

• Brazil, David. Insider's Singapore. Singapore: TImes Books International, 2001.

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