David Sassoon (October 1792 – November 7, 1864) was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829. He became the leader of the Jewish community in Mumbai after Baghdadi Jews emigrated there. He was a leading trader of cotton and opium in China.
Sassoon was born in Baghdad, where his father, Saleh Sassoon, was a wealthy businessman, chief treasurer to the pashas (the governors of Baghdad) from 1781 to 1817, and leader of the city's Jewish communi...
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David Sassoon (October 1792 – November 7, 1864) was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829. He became the leader of the Jewish community in Mumbai after Baghdadi Jews emigrated there. He was a leading trader of cotton and opium in China.
Sassoon was born in Baghdad, where his father, Saleh Sassoon, 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 whose ancestors once lived in Spain. His mother was Amam Gabbai. After a traditional education in the Hebrew language, Sassoon married Hannah in 1818. 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 Mumbai via Persia. Sassoon was in business in Mumbai no later than 1832, originally acting as a...
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