David Sassoon
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| David Sassoon | |
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| Born | October 1792 Baghdad, Ottoman Iraq |
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| Died | 1864-11-07 Poona, British India |
| Occupation | Treasurer of Baghdad, businessman |
David Sassoon (October 1792 β November 7, 1864) was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829 and the leader of the Jewish community in Bombay (now Mumbai).
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[edit] Biography
Sassoon was born in Baghdad where his father, Saleh Sassoon[1], was a wealthy businessman, chief treasurer to the pashas (the governors of Baghdad) from 1781 to 1817, and leader of the city's Jewish community. The family were Sephardim with Spanish origins. His mother was Amam Gabbai. After a traditional education in the Hebrew language, he married Hannah in 1818, and they had two sons and two daughters before she died in 1826. Two years later he married Farha Hyeem (who was born in 1812 and died in 1886). The pair had six sons and three daughters.
Following increasing persecution of Baghdad's Jews by Daud Pasha, the family moved to Bombay via Persia. Sassoon was in business in Bombay no later than 1832, originally acting as a middleman between British textile firms and Gulf commodities merchants, then investing in valuable harbour properties. His major competitors were Parsis whose profits were built on their domination of the Sino-Indian opium trade since the 1820s.
When the Treaty of Nanking opened up China to British traders, to the annoyance of the Chinese Emperor (Opium wars), Sassoon developed his textile operations into a profitable triangular trade: Indian yarn and opium were carried to China, where he bought goods which were sold in Britain, where he obtained Lancashire cotton products. He sent his son Elias David Sassoon to Canton, where he was the first Jewish trader (with twenty-four Parsi rivals). In 1845 David Sassoon & Sons opened an office in what would soon become Shanghai's British concession, and it became the firm's second hub of operations.
It was not until the 1860s that the Sassoons were able to lead the Baghdadi Jewish community in overtaking Parsi dominance. A particular opportunity was the American Civil War as Lancashire factories replaced American cotton imports with Sassoon's Indian cotton.
[edit] Legacy
Although David Sassoon did not speak English, he became a naturalised British citizen in 1853. He kept the dress and manners of the Baghdadi Jews, but allowed his sons to adopt English manners. His son, Abdullah changed his name to Albert, moved to England, became a Baronet and married into the Rothschild family. All the Sassoons of Europe are said to be descendants of David Sassoon.
He built a synagogue in the Fort (area) and another in Byculla, as well as a school, a Mechanics' Institute, a library and a convalescent home in Pune.
David Sassoon was conscious of his role as a leader of the Jewish community in Bombay. He helped to arouse a sense of Jewish identity amongst the Bene Israeli and Cochin Jewish communities. The Sassoon Docks (built by his son) and the David Sassoon Library are named after him. He also built a synagogue in Byculla.
David Sassoon died in his country house in Pune in 1864. His business interests were inherited by his son Sir Albert Sassoon; Elias David had established a rival firm.
 Tomb of David Sassoon, Pune, India |
 Family tree of the Sassoon family |
[edit] References
- Chiara Betta 'Marginal Westerners in Shanghai: the Baghdadi Jewish community, 1845-1931' in Robert Bickers and Christian Henriot New Frontiers: imperialism's new communities in East Asia, 1842-1953 (Manchester University Press 2000: pp.38-54), p.38ff.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sassoon family
- Biography from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
- Jewish Encyclopedia.com
