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Isidor Straus

From Alfawiki
Isidor Straus
BornError: Invalid birth date for calculating age
Otterberg, Kingdom of Bavaria
Died15 April 1912(1912-04-15) (aged 67)
North Atlantic Ocean (Titanic disaster)
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, politician
Known forCo-owner of Macy's; U.S. Congressman from New York; Titanic victim

Isidor Straus (February 6, 1845 – April 15, 1912) was an American entrepreneur and politician originally from Bavaria, who co-managed the Macy's department store alongside his brother Nathan. He represented New York in the United States House of Representatives for over a year. Straus and his wife, Ida, tragically perished during the Titanic disaster.

Early life

Born into a Jewish household in Otterberg, then within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Straus was the eldest son among five siblings of Lazarus Straus (1809–1898) and Sara Straus (1823–1876). His brothers and sisters included Hermine, Nathan, Jakob Otto, and Oscar Solomon Straus. The family emigrated to America in 1854, initially residing in Columbus, Georgia, before moving to Talbotton, Georgia, where their former residence remains.

Straus intended to enroll at the United States Military Academy at West Point; however, the commencement of the American Civil War disrupted these plans. In 1861, he was elected as an officer in a Confederate unit but was deemed too young to participate actively. By 1863, he had traveled to England to procure vessels for blockade running and served as an assistant to a Confederate agent based in London while also marketing Confederate bonds in London and Amsterdam.

Career

Following the Civil War, the Straus family settled in New York City. Lazarus Straus convinced Rowland Hussey Macy, founder of Macy's, to allow L. Straus & Sons to establish a crockery section within the basement of Macy's store.

Isidor Straus contributed to L. Straus & Sons, which evolved into Macy's glassware and china division. In 1888, he partnered with Nathan Straus to become co-owners of Macy's. By 1893, they secured a controlling stake in Wechsler & Straus, subsequently renaming it Abraham & Straus. By 1896, Isidor and Nathan had obtained complete ownership of R. H. Macy & Co..

Marriage and children

In 1871, Isidor married Rosalie Ida Blun (1849–1912). The couple had seven children, with one passing away during infancy:

  • Jesse Isidor Straus (1872–1936), who wed Irma Nathan and served as U.S. Ambassador to France from 1933 to 1936
  • Clarence Elias Straus (1874–1876), who died in infancy
  • Percy Selden Straus (1876–1944), married Edith Abraham, daughter of Abraham Abraham
  • Sara Straus (1878–1960), wife of Dr. Alfred Fabian Hess
  • Minnie Straus (1880–1940), married Dr. Richard Weil
  • Herbert Nathan Straus (1881–1933), who married Therese Kuhn
  • Vivian Straus (1886–1967), married first Herbert Adolph Scheftel and later George A. Dixon Jr.

Noteworthy descendants include singer Mikaela Mullaney Straus (known professionally as King Princess) and Wendy Rush (née Weil), widow of Stockton Rush—the founder of deep sea tourism company OceanGate—who died during a 2023 submersible expedition to the Titanic wreck.

Congress

Straus held office as a U.S. Congressman from January 30, 1894, until March 3, 1895, representing New York's 15th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. He secured his seat through a special election in January 1894 to fill the vacancy left by Ashbel P. Fitch, who resigned to assume the role of New York City Comptroller. During his tenure, Straus advocated for tariff reform by opposing the elevated duties imposed by the McKinley Tariff and collaborated with Congressman William Lyne Wilson on drafting the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act. He chose not to run for re-election in November 1894.

Additional political involvement

Straus served as president of The Educational Alliance and was deeply engaged in philanthropic and educational efforts, with a particular emphasis on civil service reform and broadening access to education. He turned down the offer to become Postmaster General extended by President Grover Cleveland.

Upon the establishment of the Mutual Alliance Trust Company in New York in June 1902, Straus was appointed as one of its 13 directors, joining notable financiers including Emanuel Lehman, William Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Passing on the Titanic

While returning from a European winter, Isidor and his wife Ida were aboard the Titanic when it collided with an iceberg on April 14, 1912. Ida refused to board a lifeboat without Isidor, determined to stay by his side. Survivor Colonel Archibald Gracie IV recounted that Isidor declined any preferential treatment as women and children were evacuated; Ida is reported to have said, "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so we will die, together." She handed her fur coat to her maid, urging her to take a place in a lifeboat. Witnesses last saw the couple standing arm in arm on deck, demonstrating what was described as an extraordinary display of love and loyalty. The ship ultimately sank at 2:20 am on April 15.

Isidor’s remains were retrieved by the CS Mackay-Bennett and brought back to New York. Initially laid to rest at Beth-El Cemetery in Brooklyn, he was later reinterred in 1928 at the Straus Mausoleum located in Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx. Ida’s body was never found; the family placed water collected from the disaster site inside an urn within the mausoleum. Their memory is honored with a cenotaph inscribed with a verse from the Song of Solomon (8:7): "Many waters cannot quench love—neither can the floods drown it."

Tributes

In addition to the cenotaph at Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City features three memorials dedicated to Isidor and Ida Straus:

  • A commemorative plaque is displayed on Macy’s Department Store’s main floor in Manhattan.
  • The Isidor and Ida Memorial is situated in Straus Park, located at Broadway and West End Avenue near 106th Street (also known as Duke Ellington Boulevard) in Manhattan. This park lies just one block from their former home at 105th Street and West End Avenue (currently the site of the Cleburne Building). The inscription reads: "Lovely and pleasant they were in their lives, and in death they were not divided." (2 Samuel 1:23)
  • P.S. 198, a public school built in Manhattan in 1959, bears their name. Positioned on Third Avenue between East 95th and 96th Streets, it shares its building with P.S. 77.

Furthermore, Straus Hall, a freshman dormitory at Harvard University located within Harvard Yard, was gifted by their three sons as a tribute to Isidor and Ida.

In popular culture

Isidor and Ida Straus have been depicted in various films and stage productions, including the 1953 movie Titanic, the 1958 cinematic adaptation A Night to Remember, and the theatrical production Titanic. These portrayals often strive to remain true to documented historical events. The 1979 television film S.O.S. Titanic features the couple but modifies certain details, notably showing Ida informing Isidor that she intends to "stay a little while." In James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic, the pair is briefly seen embracing as their cabin fills with water, accompanied by the ship’s string quartet playing "Nearer My God to Thee"; this dramatization diverges from survivor testimonies and contrasts with the fact that Isidor’s body was eventually recovered. A deleted scene from this film offers a depiction more aligned with eyewitness accounts, portraying Isidor urging Ida to board a lifeboat, which she declines.

Portrayals

See also

References

Further reading

External links

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