Light, Francis (1740-1794), was a pioneer English trader and adventurer who played a key role in the British settlement of Malaya (now Malaysia).
Light was born in Suffolk, England. He served as a midshipman in the Royal Navy during England’s war with France in the early 1760’s. In 1765, he left the navy and sailed to India. There, he commanded a merchant ship for a firm in Madras (now Chennai). In 1771, Light sailed to Sumatra and then to Kedah, on the Malay Peninsula. He moved to Phuket in southern Siam (now Thailand) a year later and traded between there and Kedah.
Light learned to speak Malay and Siamese (Thai). He soon won the favor of Siamese officials, and even that of the king of Siam. He was also highly regarded by Sultan Muhammad Jiwa, the ruler of Kedah. As a result, he was able to negotiate a treaty with the sultan, allowing the British East India Company to establish a trading settlement on the island of Penang. Light was appointed superintendent of the new settlement. He held this position until his death from malaria in 1794.
