Lewis Strauss
| Lewis Strauss | |
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United States Secretary of Commerce Acting |
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In office November 13, 1958 – June 30, 1959 |
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| President | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Sinclair Weeks |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Mueller |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Lewis Lichtenstein Strauss January 31, 1896 Charleston, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 1974 (aged 77) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
Lewis Lichtenstein Strauss (pronounced straws /ˈstrɔːz/; January 31, 1896 – January 21, 1974) was a Jewish American businessman, philanthropist, public official, and naval officer. He was a major figure in the development of nuclear weapons and nuclear power in the United States.
Strauss was the driving force in the hearings, held in April 1954 before a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Personnel Security Board, in which J. Robert Oppenheimer's security clearance was revoked. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's nomination of Strauss to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce in 1959 was not confirmed by the Senate.
Strauss was born in Charleston, West Virginia, the son of Rosa (Lichtenstein) and Lewis Strauss, a successful shoe wholesaler. At the age of 10, he permanently lost the vision in his right eye in a rock fight. This injury later disqualified him from normal military service. His family relocated to Richmond, Virginia. He was valedictorian of his high school class, though due to typhoid fever in his senior year, he was unable to graduate with his class.
Strauss had planned to study physics at the University of Virginia. But when he finally graduated high school, his family's business had had a downturn, and they could not afford to send him. For the next three years Strauss worked as a traveling shoe salesman for his father's company. He was the company's top salesman, and saved enough money for college tuition.
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