"In principle, the British favored minorities in their colonies—their dependence on the colonial ruler ensured their loyalty—and the Jews were undoubtedly a conspicuous minority."
"They did not always embrace Reuben and Arthur, as the Countess of Warwick recalled: We resented the introduction of the Jews into the social set of the Prince of Wales, not because we disliked them…but because they had brains and understood finance. As a class we did not like brains. As for money, o"
"Albert’s death marked the beginning of the end; though the business in China and India was in capable hands, most family members were keen on monetizing their wealth rather than investing and were less enthused to work hard to maintain the prime position of David Sassoon & Co."
"In fact, from the 1870s until 1906, the Chinese production of opium increased more than twelvefold, and by 1906 it was nine times greater than opium imports."
"By the end of the war and in the early 1920s, it was becoming obvious: Leadership at David Sassoon & Co. had lost its bearings and there was no obvious person within the Sassoons to take over the helm. More professional outsiders were hired and assumed senior responsibilities. Both Philip and the ot"
"Both Sassoon firms continued their involvement with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation as directors. The biggest postwar change was that Jardine Matheson was given representation on the board, after decades of being blocked by the Sassoons since the bank began operations in 1865. As a con"
"Once the war ended and strife grew in India, E. D. Sassoon, nervousabout the rise of Indian nationalism, began to consider transferring assets abroad. The profits accrued by their mills during the war had shown what investments in manufacturing could deliver, but it grew increasingly concerned about"
"In 1956, it withdrew from Hong Kong, and its representative on the board of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, H. D. Benham, resigned. This was a significant break; David Sassoon & Co. had been the only firm represented on the board since its first meeting in 1864 (except for the war yea"