Isidor Straus
Isidor Straus | |
---|---|
![]() Straus in 1903 | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 15th district | |
In office January 30, 1894 – March 3, 1895 | |
Preceded by | Ashbel P. Fitch |
Succeeded by | Philip B. Low[1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Otterberg, Kingdom of Bavaria | February 6, 1845
Died | April 15, 1912 North Atlantic Ocean | (aged 67)
Cause of death | Sinking of the Titanic |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Jesse |
Relatives |
|
Occupation | Co-owner of Macy's department store |
Isidor Straus (February 6, 1845 – April 15, 1912) was a Bavarian-born American businessman, politician and co-owner of Macy's department store with his brother Nathan. He also served for just over a year as a member of the United States House of Representatives.[2] He died with his wife, Ida, in the sinking of the Titanic.
Early life
Straus was born into a
Career
After the Civil War, they moved to New York City, where Lazarus convinced Rowland Hussey Macy, founder of Macy's, to allow L. Straus & Sons to open a crockery department in the basement of his store.
Isidor Straus worked at L. Straus & Sons, which became the glass and china department at Macy's. In 1888, he and Nathan Straus became partners of Macy's. In 1893 he and his brother bought a controlling interest in Wechsler & Straus, renamed
Marriage and children
In 1871, Isidor Straus married Rosalie Ida Blun (1849–1912). They were parents to seven children (one of whom died in infancy):
- U.S. Ambassador to France, 1933–1936
- Clarence Elias Straus (1874–1876), who died in infancy
- Percy Selden Straus (1876–1944), who married Edith Abraham (1882–1957), daughter of Abraham Abraham[8]
- Sara Straus (1878–1960), who married Dr. Alfred Fabian Hess (1875–1933)[9]
- Minnie Straus (1880–1940), who married Dr. Richard Weil (1876–1917)
- Herbert Nathan Straus (1881–1933), who married Therese Kuhn in 1907 (1884–1977)
- Vivian Straus (1886–1967) first married Herbert Adolph Scheftel (1875–1914) with whom she had two of her three children and second, in 1917, married George A. Dixon Jr. (1891–1956).[10]
Among his great-great-granddaughters are singer Mikaela Mullaney Straus, known by her stage name King Princess,[11] and Wendy Rush (née Weil), the widow of Stockton Rush who founded the deep sea tourism company OceanGate and lost his life on a dive in a submersible in 2023 to the wreck of the Titanic.[12]
Political career
He served as a
When the newly formed
Death on the Titanic
Traveling back from a winter in Europe, mostly spent at Cape Martin in southern France, Isidor and his wife were passengers on the Titanic when, at about 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, it hit an iceberg. Once it was clear the Titanic was sinking, Ida refused to leave Isidor and would not get into a lifeboat without him.[16] According to friend and Titanic survivor Colonel Archibald Gracie IV, when he offered to ask an officer if Isidor could enter a lifeboat with Ida, Isidor refused to be made an exception while women and children were still on board, while Ida is reported to have said, "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so we will die, together."[17] Ida gave her maid her fur coat and insisted she gets into a lifeboat. Isidor and Ida were last seen on deck arm in arm; eyewitnesses described the scene as a "most remarkable exhibition of love and devotion".[18] The ship sank at 2:20 am.
Isidor's body was recovered by
Memorials
In addition to the cenotaph at Woodlawn Cemetery, there are three other memorials to Isidor and Ida Straus in their adopted home of New York City:
- A memorial plaque can be seen on the main floor of Macy's Department Store in Manhattan.
- The Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial is located in 2 Samuel1:23)
In popular culture
The couple are portrayed in the 1953 film
See also
References
- ^ "Isidor Straus Biography". History, Art and Archives. Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ^ "STRAUS, Isidor - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov.
- ^ "Reminiscences of Jacob Greenebaum, Sr. - Written for his Children in 1859 Volume 2 Number 1" (PDF). Straus Historical Society. August 2000.
: Johanette GREENEBAUM married Isaak STRAUS in about 1808. They were the parents of 14 children. Their oldest, Lazarus STRAUS, married his first cousin, Sara STRAUS. Lazarus and Sara were the parents of Isidor, Hermine, Nathan and Oscar
- ^ The Encyclopedia Americana: A universal reference library ..., Volume 14 1905
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia Isidor Straus; for details of his brief service see Kurt Stone's "The Jews of Capital Hill.."(p.54)
- ^ "Straus". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ^ Straus, Isidor. Autobiography of Isidor Straus. Independently published by the Straus Historical Society, 2011. p. 117-150
- ^ "Straus, Percy Selden, 1876-1944". The Frick Collection - Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ISBN 9781334712180.
- ^ Lyons, Richard D. (January 21, 1994). "Stuart Scheftel, 83; Executive Took Part In Many Civic Posts". The New York Times.
- ^ Newstead, Al (October 19, 2018). "King Princess on reappropriating White Stripes and her "extra as hell" family history". triple j. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY District 15 Special Race - Jan 30, 1894".
- ^ Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). Encyclopedia Americana. .
- ^ "Mutual Alliance Trust Co.", The New York Times, New York, p. 35, January 23, 2017, retrieved September 28, 2017
- ^ "Great-grandson of elderly 'Titanic' couple shares their real story". TODAY.com. December 18, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ Morbid, Mr (November 13, 2023). "Isidor Straus — A Tale of Love and Tragedy - Morbid Kuriosity". Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ]
- ^ Straus, Isidor. Autobiography of Isidor Straus. Independently published by the Straus Historical Society, 2011. p.168–176
- ^ Straus, Isidor. Autobiography of Isidor Straus. Independently published by the Straus Historical Society, 2011. p. 175-176
- ^ Thrasher, Steven (February 23, 2010). "Inside a Divided Upper East Side Public School: Whites in the front door, blacks in the back door". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
- ^ "Harvard Gazette: This month in Harvard history". Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
Further reading
- Donald E. Wilkes Jr, Georgians Died on Titanic(1994)