Sarah Lavanburg Straus (1861 – November 9, 1945) was an American philanthropist and wife of diplomat Oscar Straus.
Biography
Born Sarah Lavanburg to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in 1861 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, the daughter of Hannah (née Seller) and Louis Lavanburg. Her father was an investment banker. She had one brother, merchant Frederick Lavanburg. She was educated in private schools. On April 19, 1882, she married Bavarian-immigrant and American diplomat Oscar Straus. From 1887 to 1889, she lived in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
where her husband served as ambassador and she became acquainted with
German-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
industrialist Baron
Maurice de Hirsch
Moritz Freiherr von Hirsch auf Gereuth (german: Moritz Freiherr von Hirsch auf Gereuth; french: Maurice, baron de Hirsch de Gereuth; 9 December 1831 – 21 April 1896), commonly known as Maurice de Hirsch, was a German Jewish financier and phila ...
and Baroness Clara de Hirsch. 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 Clara de Hirsch Home for Working Girls was a non-sectarian teenage girls' home in New York City, New York, US, located at 225 East 63rd Street. Incorporated in 1897, it was supported by endowment. Clara de Hirsch donated $200,000. Participating gi ...
. Straus was appointed the first president of the Clara De Hirsch Home for Working Girls where she served until her death. 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.
In 1926, her husband died. In 1929, she financed and participated in a four-month expedition to central Africa for the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
to obtain birds from
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
, and
Nyasaland
Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...
(now
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
). In 1934, she financed and participated in an eight-month expedition to West Africa for the
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
French Sudan
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, and
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesRoger Williams Straus (1891–1957, married to Gladys Eleanor Guggenheim). Strauss died on November 9, 1945 at her home in New York City. She was a member of Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. Her grandson is
Roger Williams Straus Jr.
Roger Williams Straus Jr. (January 3, 1917 – May 25, 2004) was co-founder and chairman of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, a New York City, New York book publishing company, and member of the Guggenheim family.
Biography Early life
Straus was born in ...
References
External links
Expedition films [reel 1/11 including footage from the Straus West African Expedition and Straus Central African Expedition[more reels /nowiki>]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straus, Sarah Lavanburg
1861 births
1945 deaths
Jewish American philanthropists
Straus family