David Sassoon

David Sassoon is a Baghdadi Jewish merchant and philanthropist known for founding a major international trading empire in 19th-century British India and for his extensive charitable works that supported Jewish religious life, education, and public welfare in Bombay and Poona. Born in 1792 in Baghdad into a prominent family that had served as leaders and bankers in the Jewish community since the twelfth century, he fled persecution under local Ottoman rulers in the late 1820s, arriving in Bombay in 1832 with his family and establishing David Sassoon & Co. as a counting house that grew into a powerful enterprise trading in cotton, opium, silks, spices, and other goods across Asia.

Naturalised as a British citizen in 1853, Sassoon retained traditional Baghdadi Jewish customs while expanding his influence, becoming one of Bombay's wealthiest residents and earning his dynasty the nickname "Rothschilds of the East" for its commercial dominance. His business acumen allowed him to outpace rivals and connect markets from India to China and beyond, while his philanthropy focused on building community infrastructure.

David Sassoon was born in October 1792 in Baghdad, Ottoman Empire (present-day Iraq), into a prominent Baghdadi Jewish family that had served as leaders (Nasi) and bankers to local rulers since the twelfth century. His father, Sassoon ben Saleh (1750–1830), was a wealthy merchant who served as chief treasurer to the Ottoman pashas of Baghdad and as Nasi (president) of the Babylonian Jewish community. David was one of seven children and received a traditional Jewish education. He gained knowledge of Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hindustani.

David Sassoon was born in 1792 in Baghdad into a prominent Baghdadi Jewish family that had served as leaders (Nasis) and bankers in the Jewish community since the twelfth century.

Sassoon retained traditional Baghdadi Jewish dress, manners, and customs throughout his life, never learning English, and strictly avoided travel on the Sabbath. He permitted his sons to adopt English customs and manners.