Ralph B. Strassburger
| Ralph Strassburger | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 26, 1883 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died |
March 5, 1959 France |
| Residence |
Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania, United States, Deauville, Calvados, France |
| Education | Phillips Exeter Academy, United States Naval Academy |
| Occupation | Businessman: Newspaper publishing Racehorse owner/breeder |
| Spouse(s) | May Bourne |
Ralph Beaver Strassburger (March 26, 1883 – March 5, 1959) was an American businessman (See Biography Website) born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, who was also a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder.
Educated at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1905 and served in the U.S. Navy until 1909. He then went into business and in 1911 married May Bourne, the daughter of Frederick Gilbert Bourne, president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. An unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the elections of 1914, following America's entry in World War I he rejoined the Navy and served as a transport officer until being discharged in 1919.
In 1921, Strassburger entered the newspaper business in his hometown, acquiring the Herald then the following year the other local, the Times. He merged the papers to create the Norristown Times Herald which still operates to this day. Of importance to historians and genealogists is Strassburger's book Pennsylvania German Pioneers: a publication of the original lists of arrival in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808 published in 1934 in two volumes.
In 1913, Ralph Strassburger and his wife purchased an early 18th-century farm and manor house in Whitpain Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania where he raised horses and Ayrshire cattle. They spent a considerable amount of money on renovations and the construction of new utility buildings plus land acquisitions that over time expanded the property from 82 to 1,500 acres (6.1 km2). They called the place Normandy Farm, the name coming from an area of France that the Strassburgers loved and was renowned for its many important horse farms.
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