Straus, Nathan, 1848-1931

Nathan Straus (1848-1931) was a German-born New York City businessman and philanthropist. After making his fortune as a partner in the New York department stores Abraham and Straus and R.H. Macy and Co., Straus, with his wife Lina Gutherz Straus, turned to philanthropy. He advocated milk pasteurization to check the spread of tuberculosis, opening the Nathan Straus Pasteurized Milk Laboratory in New York in 1892; founded the Tuberculosis Preventorium for Children in New Jersey in 1909; supported Jewish colonization efforts in Palestine; and provided relief for the poor during economic and natural disasters. Straus served as Park Commissioner in New York City from 1889 to 1893, as president of the New York City Board of Health in 1898, and in 1894 refused the Democratic nomination for mayor.

From the guide to the Nathan Straus papers, 1840-1990, 1865-1930, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)

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