Roger Williams Straus, Jr.
| Roger Williams Straus Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 3, 1917 New York City |
| Died | May 25, 2004 (aged 87) New York City |
| Cause of death | pneumonia |
| Education | University of Missouri (1939) |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothea Leibmann |
| Children | Roger Straus III |
| Parent(s) | Roger Williams Straus Sr. Gladys Guggenheim |
Roger Williams Straus Jr. (January 3, 1917 – May 25, 2004) was co-founder and chairman of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, a New York book publishing company, and member of the Guggenheim family.
Straus was born in New York City and was raised in a wealthy and influential Jewish family. His mother was Gladys Guggenheim (1895–1980), heir to one of the largest fortunes in America. His father Roger Williams Straus Sr. (1891–1957) grew up in the family that owned Macy’s and was chairman of the American Smelting and Refining Co., which was owned by his wife's family. Straus' paternal grandfather, Oscar Straus, served as Secretary of Commerce and Labor under President Theodore Roosevelt and was the first Jewish member of a U.S. Cabinet. Two of his great-uncles perished on the Titanic, Isidor Straus and Benjamin Guggenheim.
While Straus Sr. focused on metal, Straus Jr. had his mind on paper. A summer job as copyboy and occasional writer for the White Plains Daily Reporter got him interested in journalism. He dropped out of St. George's School, Newport, but was accepted to Hamilton College in 1935. In 1937 he transferred to the University of Missouri and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1939 (He would gain honorary Doctor of Literature degrees from U.M. in 1976 and Hofstra University 1989.)
Straus married childhood friend, Dorothea Leibmann, granddaughter of the founder of Rheingold Brewing, on June 27, 1938.
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