William Farquhar

William Farquhar ( ; 26 February 1774 – 11 May 1839) was a Scottish colonial administrator employed by the East India Company, who served as the sixth Resident of Malacca between 1813 and 1818, and the first Resident of Singapore between 1819 and 1823. History Early life Farquhar was born in Newhall, Aberdeenshire, near Aberdeen in 1774 as the youngest child of Robert Farquhar and Agnes Morrison, his father's second wife. His brother, Arthur, two years his senior, rose to the rank of rear admiral in the Royal Navy, and received a knighthood for his distinguished services during the Napoleonic Wars. Shortly after arriving in Madras on 19 June 1791, Farquhar joined the East India Company as a cadet at the age of 17. He was promoted to a low-rank commissioned officer of the Madras Engineer Group on 22 June 1791. Two years later, on 16 August 1793, he became a lieutenant in the Madras Engineer Group.