Sassoon Eskell
Encyclopedia
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(17 March 1860 – 31 August 1932) was an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i statesman and financier. Also known as Sassoon Effendi
Effendi
Effendi, Effendy or Efendi is a title of nobility meaning a lord or master.It is a title of respect or courtesy, equivalent to the English Sir, which was used in Ottoman Empire...
(from Turkish Effendi, a title meaning Lord). Regarded in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
as the Father of Parliament, Sir Sassoon (Arabic: ساسون حسقيل or ساسون حزقيال) was the first Minister of Finance in the Kingdom and a permanent Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
until his death. Along with Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...
and T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
(a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia), he was instrumental in the creation and the establishment of the Kingdom of Iraq
Kingdom of Iraq
The Kingdom of Iraq was the sovereign state of Iraq during and after the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. The League of Nations mandate started in 1920. The kingdom began in August 1921 with the coronation of Faisal bin al-Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi as King Faisal I...
post Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule and it was he himself, who founded the nascent Iraqi government’s laws and financial structure.
He was knighted by His Britannic Majesty King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1923. His Majesty King Faisal I conferred on him the Civil Rafidain Medal Grade II, His Imperial Majesty the Shahinshah awarded him the Shirokhorshid Medal and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
decorated him with the Al-Moutamayez Medal.
Early life
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq. He was a cousin of the celebrated English war poet and author Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
, through their common ancestor, Heskel Elkebir (1740–1816). His father was Hakham
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
Heskel, Shalma, Ezra, Shlomo-David, a student of Hakham
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
Abdallah Somekh. In 1873, Hakham
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
Heskel travelled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to become the Chief Rabbi and Shohet of the thriving Baghdadi Jewish Community there. In 1885 he returned to Baghdad as the leading rabbinical authority and a great philanthropist. A wealthy man, in 1906 he built Slat Hakham Heskel which was one of the most prominent synagogues in Baghdad.
Sir Sassoon obtained his primary education at the Alliance Israélite Universelle
Alliance Israélite Universelle
The Alliance Israélite Universelle is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 by the French statesman Adolphe Crémieux to safeguard the human rights of Jews around the world...
in Baghdad. In 1877, at age 17, he travelled to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
) to continue his education, accompanied by his maternal uncle, the immensely wealthy magnate and land owner Menahem Salih Daniel who was elected deputy for Baghdad to the first Ottoman Parliament in 1876 during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
and later became Senator of the Kingdom of Iraq (1925–1932). Sir Sassoon then went to London and Vienna at the Konsular Academie to receive his higher education in economics and law. He was known to have been an outstanding pupil. He finally returned to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
to obtain another law degree.
Formative career
Following his education abroad and fluent in nine languages (English, Arabic, Turkish, PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Hebrew, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German, Greek and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) Sir Sassoon returned to Baghdad in 1881 where he was appointed Dragoman
Dragoman
A dragoman was an interpreter, translator and official guide between Turkish, Arabic, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts...
for the vilayet of Baghdad, in which post he remained until 1904. In 1885, he was also appointed Foreign Secretary to the Wali (Governor-General). On the announcement of the new Ottoman Constitution in 1908, he was elected deputy for Baghdad in the first Turkish Parliament, a position he occupied until the end of World War I, when Iraq was detached from the Ottoman Empire in 1918. In the Ottoman Parliament he showed extraordinary tact and ability. He worked as a member of various committees and organizations including the Committee of Union and Progress ( the "Young Turks
Young Turks
The Young Turks , from French: Les Jeunes Turcs) were a coalition of various groups favouring reformation of the administration of the Ottoman Empire. The movement was against the absolute monarchy of the Ottoman Sultan and favoured a re-installation of the short-lived Kanûn-ı Esâsî constitution...
" party) and was Chairman of the Budget Committee. He was deputed to London and Paris on special missions, including as a member of an Ottoman delegation to London in 1909 as under-secretary of state for trade and agriculture. In 1913 he was appointed Advisor to the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture.
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell referred to him and his brother Shaoul in a letter to her father dated 14 June 1920, as follows:
Bell also wrote of Sir Sassoon on 17 October 1920:
“I'm making great friends with two Jews, brothers - one rather famous, as a member of the Committee of Union and Progress and a deputy for Baghdad. His name is Sasun Eff. The other Sha'al, (which is Saul) is the leading Jew merchant here. They have recently come back from C'ple [Istanbul (Constantinople)] - they were at the first tea party I gave for you, here. I've known Sha'al's wife and family a long time - they are very interesting and able men. Sasun, with his reputation and his intelligence, ought to be a great help.”
“That night Mr Philby dined with me and we had a long and profitable talk. He had been to tea with me also and I had Sasun Eff. to meet him which was most valuable, for Sasun is one of the sanest people here and he reviewed the whole position with his usual wisdom and moderation.”
The creation of Iraq
In 1920, after the end of the First World War, Sir Sassoon returned to Baghdad from Istanbul and was appointed Minister of Finance in the first Iraqi government, a new provisional government under the premiership of Abd Al-Rahman Al-Naqib. The importance of his role was what was to make or break the new constitution of Iraq. The details of this were highlighted by Gertrude BellGertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...
when she recounted the circumstances regarding the establishment of Iraq’s new government. Dated 1 November 1920, Bell wrote:
“On Wednesday morning all seemed to be going well. In the afternoon Major Yetts and I went out sightseeing in Baghdad and on our way home dropped in to tea with the Tods. Mr Tod sprung upon us that he had called on Sasun Eff to congratulate him on his becoming Minister of Finance and found him with Hamdi Pasha Baban (who had been offered a seat in the Cabinet without portfolio,) both in the act of refusing. Mr Tod had done his best to persuade them but had heard in the afternoon that they had refused, the real, though not the expressed reason, being that they would not join a Cabinet which contained Saiyid Talib.
While both were important, Sasun Eff was absolutely essential. His refusal would damn the Cabinet as a Talib ministry and doom it to failure from the outset. I left my cup of tea undrunk and rushed back to the office to tell Mr Philby. He wasn't there, but there was a light in Sir Percy's room. I went in and told him. He bade me go at once to Sasun Eff and charged me to make him change his mind. I set off feeling as if I carried the future of the 'Iraq in my hands, but when I got to Sasun's house to my immense relief I found Mr Philby and Capt Clayton already there. The Naqib had got Sasun's letter and had sent Mr Philby off post haste. I arrived, however, in the nick of time. They had exhausted all their arguments and Sasun still adhered to his decision. I think my immense anxiety must have inspired me for after an hour of concentrated argument he was visibly shaken, in spite of the fact that his brother Sha'al (whom I also admire and respect) came in and did his best against us. Finally however we persuaded him that Sir Percy had no desire to thrust Talib or anyone else upon Mesopotamia, but that Talib like everyone else must be given his chance. If he proved valuable he would take his part in the foundation of national institutions, if not he was politically a dead man. We got Sasun Eff to consent to think it over and to come and see Sir Percy next day. I had an inner conviction that the game was won - partly, thank heaven, to the relations of trust and confidence which I personally had already established with Sasun - but we none of us could feel sure. You will readily understand that I didn't sleep much that night. I turned and turned in my mind the arguments I had used and wondered if I could not have done better.
Next morning, Thursday, Sasun Eff. came in at 10; I took him straight to Sir Percy and left them. Half an hour later, he returned and told me that he had accepted and I understood the full significance of the Nunc DimittisNunc dimittisThe Nunc dimittis is a canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke named after its first words in Latin, meaning 'Now dismiss...'....
. He asked me what he could now do to help and I sent him straight to the Naqib. The leading Shi'ah of Baghdad had also refused to join the Council and it was essential to get him in. In the midst of this talk Sir Percy sent for me. I left Sasun to Mr Philby and went to consult with Sir Percy. We agreed that I should send at once for Ja'far, tell him what had happened and bid him bestir himself. It was past one o'clock before I caught Ja'far. We had the most extraordinary conversation. He told me he had come into the Cabinet, only to defeat Talib, that he distrusted and loathed him and regarded it as shameful that he should be one of the leading persons of Mesopotamia. I said that the Mesopotamians themselves had made him, by their fear and their servility, and that it was for them to unmake him if they wished. We then discussed how to win over the extremists, I assured him that that was Sir Percy's chief desire and taking heart, he asked if he might talk to Sir Percy. I took him at once to Sir Percy and left them together, with the assured conviction that Sir Percy was the best exponent of his own policy.”… “Oh, if we can pull this thing off! rope together the young hotheads, and the Shi'ah obscurantists, and enthusiasts like Ja'far, polished old statesmen like Sasun, and scholars like Shukri - if we can make them work together and find their own salvation for themselves, what a fine thing it will be. I see visions and dream dreams. But as we say in Arabic countless times a day "Through the presence of His Excellency the Representative of the King, and with the help of the Great Government, all please God, must be well!"
“The Council of State of the first Arab government in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
since the (thirteenth century) Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
’s” as Bell described it, met on Tuesday, 2 November 1920. Along with Sir Sassoon as Minister of Finance, Jafar Pasha al-Askari as Minister of Defence and six other ministers including Sayid Talib as Minister of the Interior. The next step was to choose a King to unite the tribally fractured country. Sir Sassoon had already offered his opinions on the matter as was recounted again by Miss Bell:
“I had a long and interesting talk with Sasun Eff. the other day - I went to call on his sister in law and found all the men there eager to embark on talk. Sasun Eff. said he felt sure that no local man would be acceptable as head of the state because every other local man would be jealous of him. He went on to throw out feelers in different directions - one might think of a son of the Sharif, or a member of the family of the Sultan of Egypt, if there was a suitable individual, or of the family of the Sultan of Turkey? I said I for my part felt sure that Sir Percy didn't and couldn't mind whom they selected except that I thought the Turkish family was ruled out - it ought to be an Arab prince. Sasun Eff. said "If they think you are backing S. Talib they will all agree outwardly to S. Talib, whatever they think of him. I remember when once I happened to be on the same boat with him coming back from Constantinople [Istanbul] - it was when S. Talib was a deputy. Almost without exception the people of Basrah hated and feared him, and if you'll believe me they all came down to Muhammarah to welcome him! and the ones that hated him most gave him the most cordial reception. They were afraid of him. So it would be now." I again insisted that we could find no interest or advantage in backing anyone; it was entirely a matter for the people themselves to decide, but whether he believed me or not I can't say. He had, however, hit on the root of the matter. Anyone they think we're backing they will agree to - and then intrigue against him without intermission. It's not an easy furrow to plough!”
To reach a final conclusion on the choice for ruler, Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, then British colonial secretary summoned a small group of Orientalists to Egypt for the famous Cairo Conference of March 1921. The British Empire’s best minds on the Middle East would determine the fate of Mesopotamia, Transjordan and Palestine. Churchill’s objectives were to save money by reducing Britain's overseas military presence; Find a way to maintain political control over Britain's mandate areas as identified in the Sykes-Picot Agreement; Protect what was then suspected to be substantial oil reserves in Iraq; and lastly preserve an open trade route to India, the Crown Jewel of the empire. Representing the Iraqi’s, two members of the Council were picked to join the delegation: Sir Sassoon Eskell and Jafar Pasha al-Askari; with the disliked Sayid Talib left behind. It was at this conference, with Sir Sassoon’s and Jafar Pasha’s approval that Emir Faisal was chosen for the throne of Iraq.
Ministerial office
When Faisal I was enthroned as King of Iraq, a new ministry was formed on 1 September 1921 by Prime Minister Abd Al-Rahman Al-Naqib in which Sir Sassoon was re-appointed Minister of Finance. He was consequently re-appointed Minister of Finance again in five successive governments until 1925 of Abd Al-Rahman Al-Naqib, Abd Al-Muhsin Al-Sa’dun and Yasin Pasha Al-Hashimi.Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...
described Sir Sassoon’s ministerial qualities in another letter dated 18 December 1920:
“The man I do love is Sasun Eff. and he is by far the ablest man in the Council. A little rigid, he takes the point of view of the constitutional lawyer and doesn't make quite enough allowance for the primitive conditions of the 'Iraq, but he is genuine and disinterested to the core. He has not only real ability but also wide experience and I feel touched and almost ashamed by the humility with which he seeks - and is guided by - my advice. It isn't my advice, really; I'm only echoing what Sir Percy thinks. But what I rejoice in and feel confident of is the solid friendship and esteem which exists between us. And in varying degrees I have the same feeling with them all. That's something, isn't it? that's a basis for carrying out the duties of a mandatory?”
And again in correspondence dated 7 February 1921:
“I do love Sasun Eff; I think he is out and away the best man we've got and I am proud and pleased that he should have made friends with me. He is an old Jew, enormously tall and very thin; he talks excellent English, reads all the English papers, and is entirely devoid of any self-interest. He has no wish to take any further part in public life but he says he is convinced that the future of his country - if it is to have a future - is bound up with the British mandate and as long as we say he can help us he is ready to put himself at our service. He made a very considerable name in the Turkish Chamber where he sat as a strong Committee man. Some day I mean to make him tell me all he really thought about the Committee. One can talk to him as man to man, and exchange genuine opinions”
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
rather than the pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
. At the time, this request did seem bizarre since sterling was backed by the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
anyway. Nevertheless his demand was reluctantly accepted. Later this concession benefited Iraq’s treasury during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the gold standard was abandoned and the pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
plummeted. He thus secured countless additional millions of Iraqi dinar
Iraqi dinar
The dinar is the currency of Iraq. It is issued by the Central Bank of Iraq and is subdivided into 1,000 fils , although inflation has rendered the fils obsolete.-History:...
s for the State. This is something that the Iraqi nation remembers with appreciation and admiration.
In 1925 he was elected deputy for Baghdad in the first parliament of the Kingdom and was re-elected to all successive parliaments until his death. In the Iraqi parliament he was chairman of the financial committee and was regarded as the Father of Parliament, in light of his vast parliamentary knowledge, depth of experience and venerable age. His advice was taken on all parliamentary matters. He arbitrated and his views were accepted, whenever a conflict arose concerning the enforcement of internal regulations. He was a far-sighted statesman with a profoundly deep knowledge of Iraq and other countries. He was immensely well travelled and was well acquainted with most major European statesmen of the time.