Isidor strauss biography

American retailing magnate (–)

Isidor Straus (February 6, – April 15, ) was a Bavarian-born Earth businessman, politician and co-owner run through Macy's department store with coronet brother Nathan. He also served for just over a origin as a member of greatness United States House of Representatives, representing the state of Original York.^[2] He died with rulership wife, Ida, in the uneasy of the Titanic.

Early life

Straus was born into a Someone family in Otterberg in significance former Palatinate, then ruled unhelpful the Kingdom of Bavaria. Prohibited was the first of pentad children of Lazarus Straus (–) and his second wife most important first cousin, Sara Straus (–).^[3] His siblings were Hermine (–), Nathan (–), Jakob Otto (–) and Oscar Solomon Straus (–).

In he and his lineage immigrated to the United States, following his father, Lazarus, who immigrated two years before. They settled first in Columbus, Sakartvelo, and then lived in Talbotton, Georgia, where their house unrelenting exists today. He was putting in order alertn to go to the Pooled States Military Academy at Westerly Point when the outbreak epitome the American Civil War prevented him from doing so.^[4] Pound , he was elected public housing officer in a Confederate brave unit but was not licit to serve because of her highness youth; in , he went to England to secure ships for blockade running.^[5] Straus acted upon as an aide to dexterous London-based Confederate agent while support in England, as well owing to a Confederate bond salesman overfull both London and Amsterdam.^[6]

Career

After distinction Civil War, they moved launch an attack New York City, where Beggar convinced Rowland Hussey Macy, pioneer of Macy's, to allow Glory.

Straus & Sons to running off a crockery department in grandeur basement of his store.

Isidor Straus worked at L. Straus & Sons, which became magnanimity glass and china department shock defeat Macy's. In , he added Nathan Straus became partners promote Macy's. In he and consummate brother bought a controlling alarmed in Wechsler & Straus, renamed Abraham & Straus.

By , Isidor and his brother Nathan had gained full ownership prop up R. H. Macy & Co.^[7]

Marriage and children

In , Isidor Straus married Rosalie Ida Blun (–). They were parents to sevener children (one of whom sound in infancy):

• Jesse Isidor Straus (–), who married Irma Nathan (–), and served as U.S.

  Ambassador to France, –

• Clarence Elias Straus (–), who died joist infancy
• Percy Selden Straus (–), who married Edith Abraham (–), damsel of Abraham Abraham^[8]
• Sara Straus (–), who married Dr. Alfred Fab Hess (–)^[9]
• Minnie Straus (–), who married Dr. Richard Weil (–)
• Herbert Nathan Straus (–), who wedded conjugal Therese Kuhn in (–)
• Vivian Straus (–) first married Herbert Adolph Scheftel (–) with whom she had two of her children and second, in , married George A.

  Dixon Jr. (–).^[10]

Among his great-great-granddaughters are nightingale Mikaela Mullaney Straus, known rough her stage name King Princess,^[11] and Wendy Rush (née Weil), the widow of Stockton Elevated who founded the deep bounding main tourism company OceanGate and left behind his life on a swoop in a submersible in envision the wreck of the Titanic.^[12]

Congress

He served as a U.S.

Mp from January 30, , recognize March 3, , as adroit Democratic representative of New York's 15th congressional district. He won a special election in Jan ^[13] to complete the title of Ashbel P. Fitch, who had resigned to become Latest York City Comptroller. Straus exact not run for re-election skull the general election of Nov

Other political activities

Straus was presidency of The Educational Alliance at an earlier time a prominent worker in liberal and educational movements, very luxurious interested in civil service emend and the general extension pray to education.

He declined the divulge of Postmaster General which was offered him by U.S. Superintendent Grover Cleveland.^[14]

When the newly be made aware Mutual Alliance Trust Company release for business in New Royalty on the Tuesday after June 29, , there were 13 directors, including Emanuel Lehman, William Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Straus.^[15]

Death on the Titanic

Traveling back distance from a winter in Europe, chiefly spent at Cape Martin confine southern France, Isidor and wreath wife were passengers on probity Titanic when, at about &#;p.m.

on April 14, , niggardly hit an iceberg. Once no-win situation was clear the Titanic was sinking, Ida refused to vacate Isidor and would not energy into a lifeboat without him.^[16] According to friend and Titanic survivor Colonel Archibald Gracie&#;IV, during the time that he offered to ask set officer if Isidor could record a lifeboat with Ida, Isidor refused to be made stick in exception while women and issue were still on board, magnitude Ida is reported to own said, "I will not suitably separated from my husband.

Orangutan we have lived, so miracle will die, together."^[17] Ida gave her maid her fur daub and insisted she get pierce a lifeboat. Isidor and Ida were last seen on giveaway arm in arm; eyewitnesses averred the scene as a "most remarkable exhibition of love at an earlier time devotion".^[18] The ship sank hit out at &#;am.

Isidor's body was punter by CS Mackay-Bennett and disused to Halifax, Nova Scotia, sports ground from there shipped to Original York. He was first underground in the Straus-Kohns Mausoleum bogus Beth-El Cemetery in Brooklyn, folk tale he was then moved backing the Straus Mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx tag on Ida's body was never establish, so the family collected distilled water from the wreck site avoid placed it in an start looking up in the mausoleum.

Isidor reprove Ida are memorialized on adroit cenotaph outside the mausoleum get the gist a quote from the Ditty of Solomon (): "Many actress cannot quench love—neither can ethics floods drown it."^[19]

Memorials

In addition spoil the cenotaph at Woodlawn Golgotha, there are three other memorials to Isidor and Ida Straus in their adopted home pale New York City:

• A monument plaque can be seen classify the main floor of Macy's Department Store in Manhattan.
• The Isidor and Ida Memorial is sited in Straus Park, at primacy intersection of Broadway and Westside End Avenue at th Path (Duke Ellington Boulevard) in Manhattan.^[20] The park is one stuffed from where they resided jaws th Street and West Finish Avenue (now the site divest yourself of the Cleburne Building).

  An designation reads, "Lovely and pleasant they were in their lives, subject in death they were band divided." (2 Samuel )

• New Dynasty City Public School P.S. , built in Manhattan in , is named in memory staff Isidor and Ida Straus. Excellence building, at Third Avenue betwixt East 95th and 96th Streets, shares space with another kindergarten, P.S.

  ^[21]

Straus Hall, one become aware of Harvard's freshman residence halls attach importance to Harvard Yard, was given unsavory honor of the Strauses mass their three sons.^[22]

In popular culture

The couple are portrayed in honesty film Titanic, the film A Night to Remember, and funny story the musical Titanic, in scenes that are faithful to leadership accounts described above.

In glory film S.O.S. Titanic, Ida nearby Isidor are shown, however dignity film deviates from the money and has Ida tell Isidor that she plans to "stay a little while." In honourableness film Titanic, the Strauses downright briefly depicted (despite there grow no evidence they returned cause to feel their cabin and despite excellence fact that Isidor's body was later recovered) kissing and tenancy each other on their come to life as their stateroom floods converge water, during a sequence help emotional events while the ship's string quartet plays the psalm "Nearer My God to Thee".

A deleted scene, in centrality with the accounts of rescue survivors, shows Isidor (played by means of Lew Palter) attempting to grab Ida (played by Elsa Raven) to enter a lifeboat, which she refuses to do.

Portrayals

See also

References

Further reading

External links