Sassoon Eskell
Sassoon Eskell | |
|---|---|
ساسون حسقيل | |
| Deputy for the Iraqi Parliament | |
| In office 1925–1932 | |
| Constituency | Baghdad |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 1 September 1921 – 1925 | |
| Monarch | Faisal I |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Muhsin al-Sa'dun |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 March 1860 Baghdad, Ottoman Empire (now Iraq) |
| Died | 31 August 1932 (aged 72) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris |
| Profession | Statesman, financier |
Sir Sassoon Eskell, KBE (Arabic: ساسون حسقيل; Hebrew: ששון יחזקאל; 17 March 1860 – 31 August 1932), also known as Sassoon Effendi was an Iraqi statesman, politician and financier. He is regarded in Iraq as the Father of Parliament. Eskell was the first Minister of Finance in the Kingdom and a permanent Member of Parliament until his death. Along with Gertrude Bell and T. E. Lawrence, he was instrumental in creating and establishing the Kingdom of Iraq post-Ottoman rule, and he founded the nascent Iraqi government's laws and financial structure.
Eskell was one of the most prominent Jews in Iraq. He was knighted by King George V in 1923. King Faisal I conferred on him the Civil Rafidain Medal Grade II, the Shahinshah awarded him the Shir-o-khorshi medal and the Ottoman Empire decorated him with the Al-Moutamayez Medal.