Victor Sassoon
Encyclopedia
Sir Ellice "Victor" Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE
(20 December 1881 – 13 August 1961) was a businessman and hotelier from the Sassoon
banking family. He succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father Edward Elias Sassoon in 1924. Married late in life, he had no issue and the Baronetcy became extinct on his death.
Sassoon lived in Shanghai
as a wealthy bon vivant who worked tirelessly to protect Western interests in the Orient and helped European Jews survive in the Shanghai Ghetto
. Sir Victor walked with the aid of two sticks as the result of injuries in World War I
in which he served in the Royal Flying Corps
. He founded the Cathay Hotel (now the Peace Hotel
) but left under increasing Japanese pressure in 1941.
Victor Sassoon was an avid photographer and held extravagant parties at his hotel. He sold his business interests in India and Shanghai in 1948 and transferred the proceeds to the Bahamas. There in 1952 he set up a new enterprise, the E.D. Sassoon Banking Company.
Late in his life, Sassoon converted to Buddhism
.
Sassoon was related by marriage to the Mocatta
family and he himself was a Sephardic Jew. One of his former employees, Lord Kadoorie, later founded the Hong Kong
based utility company China Light and Power
. One of his right hand men in Shanghai was Gordon Currie who was put into a concentration camp by the Japanese and remained there for several years.
During the 1950s Sassoon lived at his home on Cable Beach in Nassau
, The Bahamas
. Late in life he married his American nurse, "Barnsie", who remained in Nassau long after Sassoon's death in the early 1960s. Lady Sassoon continued to provide support for the charity founded by her late husband to help Bahamian children, by hosting the black-tie Heart Ball each year over the Valentine's Day weekend.
E.D. Sassoon Banking Company was bought by the merchant bank Wallace Brothers and Company (Holding) in 1972, which in turn was taken over by the Standard Chartered Bank
in 1976.
, he owned a highly successful stable of horses that won numerous prestigious races in the United Kingdom. In 1925 he purchased Woodditton Stud in Cambridgeshire
not far from the Newmarket Racecourse
. He remamed it Eve Stud Ltd. as he was know to his intimates as 'Eve'- a contraction of his first two names, Ellice Victor. Today, it is owned by Darley Stud Management
.
Among his stables' significant performances were wins in the Epsom Derby
(Pinza
, Crepello
, Hard Ridden
, St. Paddy
) Epsom Oaks
, 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, St. Leger Stakes
, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The Sassoon Road
in Hong Kong
is named in his honour.
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...
(20 December 1881 – 13 August 1961) was a businessman and hotelier from the Sassoon
Sassoon family
The Sassoon family was an Indian family of Iraqi Jewish descent and international renown, based in Bombay, India. It was descended from the famous Ibn Shoshans, one of the richest families of medieval Spain...
banking family. He succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father Edward Elias Sassoon in 1924. Married late in life, he had no issue and the Baronetcy became extinct on his death.
Sassoon lived in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
as a wealthy bon vivant who worked tirelessly to protect Western interests in the Orient and helped European Jews survive in the Shanghai Ghetto
Shanghai ghetto
The Shanghai ghetto, formally known as the , was an area of approximately one square mile in the Hongkou District of Japanese-occupied Shanghai, to which about 20,000 Jewish refugees were relocated by the Japanese-issued Proclamation Concerning Restriction of Residence and Business of Stateless...
. Sir Victor walked with the aid of two sticks as the result of injuries in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in which he served in the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
. He founded the Cathay Hotel (now the Peace Hotel
Peace Hotel
The Peace Hotel is a hotel on The Bund in Shanghai, China which overlooks the Huangpu River. The hotel today operates as two separate businesses. The North Building, built as Sassoon House, originally housed the Cathay Hotel and is today the Fairmont Peace Hotel run by Fairmont Hotel and Resorts...
) but left under increasing Japanese pressure in 1941.
Victor Sassoon was an avid photographer and held extravagant parties at his hotel. He sold his business interests in India and Shanghai in 1948 and transferred the proceeds to the Bahamas. There in 1952 he set up a new enterprise, the E.D. Sassoon Banking Company.
Late in his life, Sassoon converted to Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.
Sassoon was related by marriage to the Mocatta
Mocatta
Mocatta is the name of a prominent Anglo-Jewish family originally from Spain known for philanthropy, leadership and sponsorship of arts and letters, particularly in the United Kingdom...
family and he himself was a Sephardic Jew. One of his former employees, Lord Kadoorie, later founded the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
based utility company China Light and Power
China Light and Power
The CLP Group and its holding company, CLP Holdings Ltd , is a Hong Kong electric company that businesses in a number of Asian markets and Australia....
. One of his right hand men in Shanghai was Gordon Currie who was put into a concentration camp by the Japanese and remained there for several years.
During the 1950s Sassoon lived at his home on Cable Beach in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. Late in life he married his American nurse, "Barnsie", who remained in Nassau long after Sassoon's death in the early 1960s. Lady Sassoon continued to provide support for the charity founded by her late husband to help Bahamian children, by hosting the black-tie Heart Ball each year over the Valentine's Day weekend.
E.D. Sassoon Banking Company was bought by the merchant bank Wallace Brothers and Company (Holding) in 1972, which in turn was taken over by the Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...
in 1976.
Woodditton Stud
A fan of Thoroughbred horse racingThoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
, he owned a highly successful stable of horses that won numerous prestigious races in the United Kingdom. In 1925 he purchased Woodditton Stud in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
not far from the Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
. He remamed it Eve Stud Ltd. as he was know to his intimates as 'Eve'- a contraction of his first two names, Ellice Victor. Today, it is owned by Darley Stud Management
Darley Stud
Darley Stud is a Thoroughbred breeding operation owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. Darley breeds horses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Dubai, Japan and Australia....
.
Among his stables' significant performances were wins in the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
(Pinza
Pinza
Pinza was a Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 1953 Epsom Derby beating Aureole by four lengths. Pinza was owned by the businessman and hotelier Sir Victor Sassoon....
, Crepello
Crepello
Crepello was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse which won England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby and was later a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.-Pedigree:...
, Hard Ridden
Hard Ridden
Hard Ridden was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a brief career of five races, he won the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh and the Derby at Epsom in 1958. He was retired from racing later in the same year and stood as a stallion in Ireland and Japan.-Background:Hard Ridden was a “long and...
, St. Paddy
St. Paddy
St. Paddy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by Sir Victor Sassoon, he was out of the mare Edie Kelly and sired by Aureole, a winner of the Coronation Cup and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. His grandsire, Hyperion, and his damsire, Bois Roussel, both won the Epsom...
) Epsom Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
, 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, St. Leger Stakes
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The Sassoon Road
Sassoon Road
Sassoon Road is a road in Pok Fu Lam in Hong Kong. It is named after Sir Victor Sassoon.The area is associated with affluence and wealth. Many of Hong Kong's wealthy live in this area, including Henry Fok . The area is also close to West Island School. The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
is named in his honour.