Jesse Isidor Straus, 64, recently resigned as United States ambassador to France, died at 9:11 a.m. today at his home, 720 Park Ave., of pneumonia, which he contracted on Friday.
Mr. Straus, a former president of R.H. Macy and Co., New York department store concern, had been forced by acute illness to take leave of absence in the United States from the embassy in Paris. Finally, on Aug. 18, he was obliged to resign.
Surviving him are his wife, Mrs. Irma N. Straus; a daughter, Mrs. Robert Levy, and two sons, Jack Isidor Straus and Robert K. Straus. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday from Temple Emanu-El with Rabbi Goldenson presiding.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency was told at Mr. Straus’ home that he died peacefully, unaware of the serious nature of his illness.
Mr. Straus was born June 25, 1872, in New York, the son of Isidor and Ida Straus, who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. After studying at Harvard University and the University of Georgia, he became a bank clerk.
Shortly afterward he entered the firm of Abraham and Straus as an executive. In 1897, he became associated with R.H. Macy and Co., becoming a partner in the firm in 1914, and finally being named president in 1919.
Mr. Straus was named ambassador to Prance immediately after President Roosevelt took office in 1933. He and the President were close friends.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
