Sassoon David Sassoon | |
|---|---|
 David Sassoon (seated) and sons. Sassoon David Sassoon is on the right. | |
| Born | 1832 (1832) |
| Died | 1867 (aged 34–35) |
| Resting place | Jewish Cemetery, Mile End |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, banker, philanthropist |
| Spouse | Flora (Fahra) Reuben |
| Parent(s) | David Sassoon (father) Farha Hayim or Hyeem (mother) |
| Relatives | Sassoon family |
Sassoon David Sassoon (August 1832 – 24 June 1867) was aBritish IndianIraqi businessman, banker, and philanthropist. Sassoon was the first member of theSassoon family to expand the family's business interests into England.[1]
Sassoon was born in August 1832 inBombay, India.[2][3] He was a member of theSassoon family. His father wasDavid Sassoon (1792–1864), a leading trader ofcotton andopium who served as the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829, and his mother was Farha Hayim ofBaghdad.[2] He suffered from poor health from infancy but travelled widely.[4]
He was educated in biblical andTalmudic lore in Baghdad.[3] He also spoke severalOriental languages with great fluency.[3]
He proceeded toShanghai, where he conducted the mercantile operations of the Chinese branch of the firm ofDavid Sassoon, Sons & Co.[3] He went toLondon in 1858, where he opened a bank onLeadenhall Street.[2][3] Sassoon was the first member of his family to expand the family's business to England.[1][5] The business grew exponentially during theAmerican Civil War, as they suddenly became the main suppliers of cotton to British spinning mills and the British market.[2] Sassoon was later joined by his brother,Reuben, in the family's British business operations.[1]
He served as president of a committee which had for its object the organization of an expedition to theJews in China,Abyssinia, and the East. He was also a member of the council ofJews' College and of the committee of theJews' Free School, which two institutions he munificently endowed.[2] He was also a warden of theSpanish and Portuguese Synagogue.[2] Sassoon also acted as examiner in Hebrew to the Jews' Free School in London.[5][6]
At the age of 18, he married a cousin Farha Reuben (1838–1919) of Mumbai, daughter of Solomon Reuben Sassoon of Baghdad.[2] She later changed her name to Flora in England. They had four children giving rise to his grandchildren as follows:
They lived atAshley Park inWalton-on-Thames, Surrey and equally at 17 Cumberland Terrace next to Regent's Park inSt Pancras, London.[2] He died in 1867 in London, leaving an estate of £120,000 (equivalent to £13,420,000 in 2023).[2] Later, Flora moved to 37Adelaide Crescent inHove, East Sussex.[7]