Reuben David Sassoon, MVO (1835–1905) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

businessman.

Biography

Early life

Reuben David Sassoon was born in 1835.National Portrait Gallery: Reuben David Sassoon (1835–1905), Son of David Sassoon of Bombay
/ref> His father was David Sassoon (1792–1864), a Jewish trader of

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy '' Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which ...

and cotton in China who served as the Treasurer of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesipho ...

from 1817 to 1829. One of his brothers was Arthur Sassoon (1840–1912).

Career

He worked for his father's company, serving as director of David Sassoon & Co. for

East India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha ...

and China. By 1865, he also served on the board of directors of the

China Steamship and Labuan Coal Company China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

alongside T.C. Bruce, Sir J.D. Elphinstone, Harry Borradaile, H.B. Loch, Henry Alers Hankey, William Miller, Edward Pereira, G. Lathom Brown, Alexander Sinclair, James N. Daniel and John Hickie. He was awarded a

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, ...

.The Peerage: Reuben David Sassoon
/ref>

Judaism

Together with Abraham Jacob David and Marcus David Ezekiel, he was involved with the

Ohel Leah Synagogue The Ohel Leah Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת אהל לאה ''Beit Ha-Knesset Ohel Leah'') and its next-door neighbors, the Jewish Recreation Club and the Jewish Community Center, have formed the center of Jewish social and religious l ...

near

Staunton Street Staunton Street () is a street in Central and Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Together with the upper section of Elgin Street, it is the heart of the Soho entertainment area, featuring a number of restaurants, bars and shops. It w ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

by 1898.

Personal life

He was married to Catherine Sassoon (1838–1906).Reed Digital Collections: Jewish Atlantic World: Catherine Sassoon
/ref> They resided at 7 Queens Gardens (now demolished) in

Brighton & Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

.Marcus Roberts
Brighton & Hove: History
''National Anglo-Jewish Trail'' They had 6 children: * Rachel Sassoon (1860) * Luna Sassoon (1866) * David Reuben Sassoon (1867) * Mozelle Sassoon (1869)Reed Digital Collections: Jewish Atlantic World: Mozelle Sassoon
/ref> * Flora Cecilia Sassoon * Judith Louise Sassoon (1874–1964).
/ref> She married Charles Cavendish Boyle (1849–1916), and she became a member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. He died in 1905. His wife died a year later, in 1906, and she was buried in the Novo Beth Chaim Cemetery in

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

. Photographers Maull & Fox took his portrait in costume as a Persian prince for the Duchess of Devonshire's 1897 fancy-dress ball. A

photogravure Photogravure (in French ''héliogravure'') is a process for printing photographs, also sometimes used for reproductive intaglio printmaking. It is a photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is grained (adding a pattern to the plate) and ...

of his portrait by

Walker & Boutall Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

was printed in an album of portraits of some of the people who attended the ball; a copy of that album now rests in the National Portrait Gallery in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sassoon, Reuben David 1835 births 1905 deaths People from Brighton and Hove Reuben David English Jews Members of the Royal Victorian Order 19th-century English businesspeople English people of Indian-Jewish descent British businesspeople of Indian descent Baghdadi Jews