Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, 1st Baronet, KCB, CSI, (1818-1896), a British Indian philanthropist and merchant, was born in Baghdad on 25 July 1818, a member of a family settled there since the beginning of the 16th century, and previously in Spain. He was named Abdullah at birth, but changed his name to Albert later in life. His father, David Sassoon a leading Baghdad merchant, was driven by repeated anti-Semitic outbreaks to move from Baghdad to Bushire, in Iran, and, in 1832, he settled in Bombay where he founded a large banking and mercantile business. His business acumen soon made him one of the richest men in Bombay. Albert Sassoon was educated in India, and after his father's passing, became head of the firm. He was a great benefactor to the city of Bombay, among his gifts being the Sassoon Dock, completed in 1875, and a handsome proportion of the cost of the new Elphinstone High School. In 1867 he was made a Companion of the Order of the Star of India, C.S.I., and in 1872 a Knight of the Bath. In 1873 he visited England and received the freedom of the city of London. Shortly afterwards he settled in England, and was created Baronet in 1890. He died in Brighton on 24 October 1896.
| Preceded by New creation |
1st Baronet (1890 creation) 1890–1896 |
Succeeded by Edward Sassoon |
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
