(1781–1826), British colonial administrator; full name Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. As Lieutenant General of Sumatra he persuaded the East India Company to purchase the undeveloped island of Singapore (1819), undertaking much of the preliminary work for transforming it into an international port and centre of commerce.
Definition of Raffles, Sir Stamford in US English:
Raffles, Sir Stamford
proper nounˈrafəlz
(1781–1826), British colonial administrator; full name Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. He persuaded the East India Company to purchase the undeveloped island of Singapore in 1819 and undertook much of the preliminary work for transforming it into an international port and center of commerce.