Sir Victor was born in 1881, scion of an Anglo-Jewish family whose roots were in the Middle East. The Sassoons made a fortune in the Chinese opium trade, and later established cotton mills in India. Victor Sassoon was British to the core, and served in the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I. But in 1915 he barely survived an air crash that left him disabled for life. Sassoon would walk with the aid of two canes, and he was rarely free from pain.

Sir Victor Rebuilds Shanghai

In 1924 Sassoon became a baronet, succeeding to the title after the death of his father. Now Sir Victor, in 1927 Sassoon decided to make Shanghai the center of his business empire. While he still maintained properties in India, he grew tired of the heavy taxes that were common there. Shanghai offered a fresh start, a place to pursue his builder’s dreams.

Sir Victor set to work at once, seconded by his able lieutenant, Commander F.R. Davey. During the next few years he built Hamilton House, Cathay Mansions, and Grosvenor House, luxurious apartment high rises. Embankment House, billed as the biggest building on the China coast, boasted a frontage of a quarter of a mile. But the Cathay Hotel was Sir Victor’s pride, an Art Deco masterpiece fronting Shanghai’s Bund waterfront