Francis Light

Captain Francis Light (1740 – 21 October 1794) was the founder of the British colony of Penang (in modern-day Malaysia) and its capital George Town in 1786.

He was born in Dallinghoo, Suffolk, England and was a Royal Navy midshipman from 1759 to 1763. From 1765, he worked as a trader for the British East India Company and secured the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah, Light served as the Superintendent of the colony until his death. In 1785, he warned the Thais on Phuket Island of an imminent Burmese attack. Light's warning enabled the islanders to prepare for Phuket's defense and subsequently repel the Burmese invasion.

Light died from malaria on October 21 1794 and was buried at the Penang graveyard in Northam Road (now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah). His statue now stands at The Penang State Museum in George Town.

Light fathered children by Martina Rozells, but appeared never to have legally married her. However, it was against East India Company rules to marry a Catholic and, as Martina was Catholic, Light may have tried to avoid dismissal by never declaring his marriage. Their son, Colonel William Light, was the founder of Adelaide in Australia.