Nathan Straus

Nathan Straus (January 31, 1848 – January 11, 1931) was a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who co-owned R. H. Macy & Co., one of New York City's leading department stores, and pioneered the large-scale distribution of pasteurized milk to reduce infant mortality among the urban poor.

Born in Otterberg, Bavaria, to a Jewish family, Straus immigrated to the United States in 1854 and entered the family crockery business before joining Macy's in 1874 to manage its china and glassware departments; by 1898, he and his brother Isidor had acquired full ownership, implementing strategies such as odd pricing and layaway plans that enhanced the store's profitability.

Nathan Straus was born on January 31, 1848, in Otterberg, Rhenish Bavaria (then part of the German Confederation), to Jewish parents Lazarus Straus, a merchant, and his wife Sara (also known as Sarah). As the second of four sons—preceded by Isidor and followed by Oscar and one other—Straus grew up in a modest family environment shaped by the economic and political turbulence of mid-19th-century Europe, including the aftermath of the 1848 revolutions that prompted many German Jews to seek stability abroad.

In 1852, Lazarus Straus immigrated alone to the United States, arriving in Philadelphia before relocating to rural Georgia for perceived business opportunities in merchandising amid post-immigration settlement patterns favoring Southern trade routes. He sent for the family two years later; Sara and their children, including six-year-old Nathan, arrived in New York City in 1854 and soon joined Lazarus in Talbotton, Georgia, where the family established a home and he pursued dry goods trading. This relocation reflected broader Jewish immigrant motivations of the era: escaping European antisemitism and economic constraints while capitalizing on America's expanding markets, though the Strauses faced initial challenges adapting to Southern rural life before the Civil War disrupted regional commerce.

Nathan Straus married Lina Gutherz, whom he met during a business trip to Europe, on April 28, 1875, in a union marked by mutual support and shared commitment to Jewish communal responsibilities. The couple settled in New York City, where they raised four children—sons Jerome Nathan, Nathan Jr., Hugh Grant, and daughter Sarah (known as Sissie)—instilling in them principles of self-reliance rooted in their immigrant heritage.