Sarah Lavanburg Straus (née Lavanburg; 1861 – November 9, 1945) was an American philanthropist and wife of diplomat Oscar Straus.
Sarah Lavanburg Straus | |
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| Born | Sarah Lavanburg 1861 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | November 9, 1945 (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Spouse | Oscar Straus |
| Children | 3 |
| Family | Roger Williams Straus Jr. (grandson) Oscar Schafer (grandson) |
Biography
editBorn Sarah Lavanburg to a Jewish family in 1861 in New York City, the daughter of Hannah (née Seller) and Louis Lavanburg.[1] Her father was an investment banker.[1] She had one brother, merchant Frederick Lavanburg.[1] She was educated in private schools.[1] On April 19, 1882, she married Bavarian-immigrant and American diplomat Oscar Straus.[1] From 1887 to 1889, she lived in Istanbul where her husband served as ambassador and she became acquainted with German-Jewish industrialist Baron Maurice de Hirsch and Baroness Clara de Hirsch.[1] In 1891, the Strausses persuaded Baron Hirsch to establish the Baron de Hirsch Fund which focused on aiding Jewish immigrants relocating from Russia; and the Clara de Hirsch Home for Working Girls. Straus was appointed the first president of the Clara De Hirsch Home for Working Girls where she served until her death.[1] In 1915, the Immigrant Home's operation was taken over by Straus and her brother, and renamed the Hannah Lavanburg Home in honor of their mother.[1]
In 1926, her husband died.[1] In 1929, she financed and participated in a four-month expedition to central Africa for the American Museum of Natural History to obtain birds from Uganda, Kenya, and Nyasaland (now Malawi).[1] In 1934, she financed and participated in an eight-month expedition to West Africa for the Field Museum of Natural History to collect bird specimens in Senegal, French Sudan, and Niger territory.[1] Straus served on the board of the Fred L. Lavanburg Foundation.[1]
Personal life
editStraus had three children with her husband: Mildred Straus Schafer (born 1883), Aline Straus Hockstader (born 1889), and Roger Williams Straus (1891–1957, married to Gladys Eleanor Guggenheim).[1][2][3] Strauss died on November 9, 1945, at her home in New York City.[1] She was a member of Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.[1] Her grandson is Roger Williams Straus Jr.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sarah Lavanburg Straus 1861–1945". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "Morse, Mildred Hockstader Tiny". New York Times. July 9, 2005. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "Roger Williams Straus (1891–1957)". Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration. Retrieved March 16, 2018.