Isidor straus biography sampler

American retailing magnate (1845–1912)

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.

Isidor straus biography sampler

He also served for just over a year as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the state of New York.^[2] He died with his wife, Ida, in the sinking of the Titanic.

Early life

Straus was born into a Jewish family in Otterberg in the former Palatinate, then ruled by the Kingdom of Bavaria.

He was the first of five children of Lazarus Straus (1809–1898) and his second wife and first cousin, Sara Straus (1823–1876).^[3] His siblings were Hermine (1846–1922), Nathan (1848–1931), Jakob Otto (1849–1851) and Oscar Solomon Straus (1850–1926).

In 1854 he and his family immigrated to the United States, following his father, Lazarus, who immigrated two years before. They settled first in Columbus, Georgia, and then li