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David Sassoon (1792 – 1864) was a prominent Bombay (now Mumbai) businessman. He was born in Baghdad into a family of Nasis, traditional leaders of the Jewish community. His father, Saleh Sassoon, was a wealthy banker and chief treasurer to the pashas, the governors of Baghdad, from 1781 to 1817. Following the footsteps of his father, David Sassoon served as the treasurer under Ahmet Pasha, the governor of Baghdad at the time, and became implicated in a corruption scandal which saw David Sassoon and his family fleeing for safety in 1829, and finally settling down in Bombay with some of the family's wealth in 1833.

He started business in Bombay with a counting house, a carpet godown, and an opium business. He was soon one of the richest men in Bombay. He chose to follow the market, but he pursued all his enterprises better than his chief rivals, the Parsis. By the end of the 1850s, it was said of him that "silver and gold, silks, gums and spices, opium and cotton, wool and wheat - whatever moves over sea or land feels the hand or bears the mark of Sassoon and Company".

Role in the Opium War in China

Some neo-Nazis claim that Sassoon was the leading opium trader in the late 1830s, and manipulated the British government into starting the First Opium War in defence of his interests.^[1] Some Jews claim that he had a monopoly on the Asian opium trade.^[2] By contrast, academic histories of the incident treat William Jardine and Thomas Dent as the leading opium traders, with Jardine's presence in London being particularly significant.^[3]

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.

References

^ Hong Kong Founded as Sassoon Drug Center. See the article on Stormfront (website) for details of this source.
^ Jacobs, Joseph (1993). Jewish Encyclopedia: David Sassoon. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) See the article on the Jewish Encyclopedia for details of this source.
^ Spence, Jonathan D. (1999). The Search for Modern China. New York/London: W.W.Norton. pp. 152–158. See the article on Jonathan Spence for details of this source. See also Bard, Solomon (1993). Traders of Hong Kong: Some Foreign Merchant Houses, 1841-1899. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Urban Council.

[1] Hong Kong Founded as Sassoon Drug Center. See the article on Stormfront (website) for details of this source.

[je1-2] Jacobs, Joseph (1993). Jewish Encyclopedia: David Sassoon. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) See the article on the Jewish Encyclopedia for details of this source.

[spencebard-3] Spence, Jonathan D. (1999). The Search for Modern China. New York/London: W.W.Norton. pp. 152–158. See the article on Jonathan Spence for details of this source. See also Bard, Solomon (1993). Traders of Hong Kong: Some Foreign Merchant Houses, 1841-1899. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Urban Council.

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+Some [[neo-Nazi|neo-Nazis]] claim that Sassoon was the leading opium trader in the late 1830s, and manipulated the British government into starting the [[First Opium War]] in defence of his interests.<ref>[http://www.stormfront.org/truth_at_last/sassoon.htm Hong Kong Founded as Sassoon Drug Center]. See the article on [[Stormfront (website)]] for details of this source.</ref> Some Jews claim that he had a monopoly on the Asian opium trade.<ref name="je1">{{cite book | title=Jewish Encyclopedia: David Sassoon| url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=269&letter=S#899| last=Jacobs| first=Joseph| coauthors=Goodman Lipkind, J.Hyams| date=1993}} See the article on the [[Jewish Encyclopedia]] for details of this source.</ref> By contrast, academic histories of the incident treat [[William Jardine]] and [[Dent & Co.|Thomas Dent]] as the leading opium traders, with Jardine's presence in London being particularly significant.<ref name="spencebard">{{cite book | title=The Search for Modern China| last=Spence| first=Jonathan D.| date=1999| pages=152-158| publisher=W.W.Norton| location=New York/London}} See the article on [[Jonathan Spence]] for details of this source. See also {{cite book | title=Traders of Hong Kong: Some Foreign Merchant Houses, 1841-1899| last=Bard| first=Solomon| date=1993| publisher=Hong Kong Urban Council| location=Hong Kong}}</ref>
-In Bombay, David Sassoon established the house of David Sassoon & Co., with branches at [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[Shanghai]], [[Guangzhou|Canton]] and [[Hong Kong]].  His business, which included a [[monopoly]] of the opium trade in China, (even though opium was banned in [[China]]) extended as far as [[Yokohama]], [[Nagasaki, Nagasaki|Nagasaki]], and other cities in [[Japan]].
-In [[1836]], the opium trade reached over 30,000 chests per annum and drug addiction in coastal cities became endemic.  In [[1839]], the [[Manchu]] Emperor ordered that the opium smuggling be stopped.  He named the Commissioner of Canton, [[Lin Tse-hsu]], to lead a campaign against opium.  Lin seized and destroyed 2,000 chests of Sassoon opium.  An outraged David Sassoon demanded that China compensate for the seizure or Great Britain retaliate.
-The Chinese Army, decimated by 10 years of opium addiction, proved no match for the British Army. The war ended in [[1842]] with the signing of the [[Treaty of Nanking]]. The "peace treaty" included these provisions:
-# Full legalisation of the opium trade in China
-# Compensation from the opium stockpiles confiscated by Lin of two million [[pound (currency)|pounds]]
-# Territorial sovereignty for the British Crown over several designated offshore islands.
 == Legacy ==