Isidor Straus - Early Life

Early Life

Isidor Straus was born in Otterberg county of Kaiserslautern, Germany. He was the first of five children of Lazarus Straus (1809–1898) and his second wife Sara (1823–1876). 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 in Talbotton where Lazarus had opened a dry goods store.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War Isidor volunteered to serve for the Confederate States Army but was turned down. The governor explained that "there were not arms enough to equip the men, to accept boys as soldiers was out of the question." Isidor worked in his father's store for about 18 months while his father's partner served in the 4th Georgia Regiment. When his father's partner came back discharged owing to physical disability, Isidor became the secretary to a group whose purpose was to bring cotton to Europe where it could be sold. The proceeds would be used to build blockade running ships. Although Isidor reached Europe, the enterprise never completed its mission. He remained in Europe for the remainder of the war. Isidor returned to the United States with $12,000 in gold he'd earned trading in Confederate bonds.

Following the war, the Straus family moved to New York City where Lazarus and Isidor formed L. Straus & Son, importers of crockery, china and porcelain. In 1874 brother Nathan, who by then had completed his education and joined the family firm, convinced Rowland H. Macy to allow L. Straus & Sons to open a crockery department in the basement of his store.