straus

English - English

Definition of straus in English English dictionary

Related Terms

Straus & Giroux Farrar

Publishing company in New York City noted for its literary excellence. It was founded in 1945 by John Farrar and Roger Straus as Farrar, Straus & Co. After various changes in personnel and name, it took its present name in 1964, with the addition of Robert Giroux as editor in chief. The company became established as a leading independent trade publisher of writers of the first rank, including many Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners. In 1994 a controlling interest was sold to the German publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck

Straus family

German-U.S. merchandising family that distinguished itself in public service and philanthropy. The family originated in Bavaria, and the patriarch, Lazarus Straus, immigrated to the U.S. in 1852, followed by his wife and three sons: Isidor (1845-1912), Nathan (1848-1931), and Oscar Solomon (1850-1926). They established a merchandising firm that allowed them to gain an interest in Macy and Co., which led to complete ownership in 1896. Isidor established the department store chain of Abraham & Straus, served briefly in the U.S. Congress, and engaged in philanthropic works; he and his wife perished aboard the Titanic after giving Mrs. Straus's place in a lifeboat to their maid. Nathan was noted for his philanthropy; he distributed food and coal in New York and supplied pasteurized milk to children in 36 cities during the 1892 depression, built the first tuberculosis preventorium for children (1909), and provided food for New York's poor during the harsh winter of 1914-15. He devoted the last years of his life to public-health work in Palestine. Oscar was appointed Secretary of Commerce and Labor by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, becoming the first Jewish Cabinet member (1906-09); he also served as emissary to Ottoman Turkey and as an adviser to Pres. Woodrow Wilson, and he was a strong advocate for the protection of Jewish minorities in Europe

Hyphenation

Straus

Turkish pronunciation

straus

Pronunciation

/ˈstrous/ /ˈstraʊs/