The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Straus, Oscar Solomon
STRAUS, Oscar Solomon, American
merchant and diplomat, brother of Isidor and
Nathan Straus (qq.v.); b. Otterberg, Bavaria,
23 Dec. 1850. A resident of Georgia from 1854
to 1865, he was graduated from Columbia
University in 1871 and from its law school in 1873.
He engaged in mercantile life for a time with
his father's firm, but found leisure for literary
and educational work. He was appointed
United States Minister to Turkey 1887-98 and
1898-1900, in 1902, a member of the Permanent
Counrt of International Arbitration at The
Hague and in 1906 he became Secretary of
Commerce and Labor in the Roosevelt Cabinet.
He was Ambassador to Turkey (1909-10);
and Progressive candidate for governor of
New York State; and he arbitrated the dispute
between the engineers and managers of the
eastern railroads (1914). The following year
he became chairman of the public service
commission of New York State. He is president
of the American Jewish Historical Society and
has published ‘The Origin of Republican Form
of Government of the United States’ (1886);
‘Roger Williams’ (1894); ‘The Development
of Religious Liberty in the United States’
(1896); ‘Reform in the Consular Service’
(1897); ‘United States Doctrine of Citizenship’
(1901); ‘Our Diplomacy with Reference
to our Foreign Service’ (1902); ‘The American
Spirit’ (1913).