Nathan Straus

Nathan Straus encompassed worlds. A dynamo animated at once by Jewish values and no-nonsense pragmatism, he achieved in several realms. He rose from his German-Jewish-immigrant family’s ruin in Civil-War Georgia to become co-owner of Macy’s and Abraham & Straus. He helped build American Zionism and co-founded the American Jewish Congress movement. His public service led to a nomination for New York City mayor.

The first complete biography of Straus, Nathan Straus: Macy’s Magnate, Hero of Public Health tells the story of Straus’ rise, his robust philanthropic initiatives in the Progressive Era, and his later years in the Zionist movement. Beginning in New York City, his campaign for pasteurized infant milk expanded across and beyond America. He founded America’s first TB preventorium for at-risk children: a model for the forty-five more that followed. He brought American public-health innovations to Mandate Palestine. And, he provided massive relief for jobless New Yorkers in the 1890s depression. In all, his humanitarianism won the acclaim of many American presidents and world leaders and something more: the gratitude of millions.

Author Biography

Andrew Fisher, an independent scholar, is the retired founding executive director of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind. He has thirty-five years of experience in New York City philanthropic organizations and is a winner of Helen Keller International’s Humanitarian Award. He is based in New Jersey.