Abraham Abraham

Abraham Abraham (March 9, 1843 – June 28, 1911) was an American businessman and the founder of the Brooklyn department store Abraham & Straus, founded 1865.^[1] The chain, which became part of Federated Department Stores, is now part of Macy's.

Abraham Abraham
Born	(1843-03-09)March 9, 1843 New York City, U.S.
Died	June 28, 1911(1911-06-28) (aged 68) Cherry Island, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	Founder of Abraham & Straus
Spouses	Isabella Hyams ​ ​ (m. 1868; died 1875)​ Rose Epstein ​ (m. 1882)​
Children	Lillian Isabelle Abraham Rothschild (1869–1927) Florence May Abraham Blum (1872–1959) Lawrence Emanuel Abraham (1872–1945) Edith S. Abraham Straus (1882–1957)

Early life

Abraham was born to a Jewish family,^[2] the son of Judah Abraham, a native of Bavaria who left in 1837 and married Sarah Sussman en route to the United States. Soon after arrival, Judah Abraham opened a store on Murray Street in New York. In 1843 Abraham Abraham was born. He had delicate health, and wanted to be a violinist. During the Civil War, he ran away to Chicago to enlist, but was brought back by his father. At 14, he worked at Hart & Dettlebach of Newark, along with Simon Bloomingdale and Benjamin Altman for $1 a week.

Career

Abraham opened Wechsler & Abraham in Brooklyn in 1865 at 297 Fulton Street.^[3] The company later became Abraham & Straus.^[1]

He became a Brooklyn philanthropist, establishing the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, among many other causes. In 1890, he commissioned a house, now demolished, at 800 St. Mark's Avenue in Brooklyn.

Personal life

Abraham married twice. In 1868, he married Isabella Hyams; she died in 1875.^[4] In 1882, he married Rose Epstein; they remained married until his death.^[5] He had three children with his first wife and one with his second wife, Rose:

• Lillian Isabelle Abraham Rothschild (married to Simon F. Rothschild);^[6][7]
• Florence May Abraham Blum (married to Edward Charles Blum);^[8][9]
• Lawrence Emanuel Abraham; and
• Edith Abraham Straus (married to Percy Selden Straus, son of Isidor Straus).^[10]

His many notable descendants include grandson Donald B. Straus (son of his daughter Edith), an educator, author, and advisor; great-great-granddaughter Nina Rothschild Utne, a magazine publisher; great-great-grandson Peter A. Bradford, civil servant and nuclear power expert, and great-great-great-grandson Arthur Bradford, an author and director.

Abraham died on Cherry Island, near Alexandria Bay, New York.

Further reading

• "...And Paramus Makes Ten", internal A&S history document on opening of Paramus Park store, 1974.
• "Abraham Abraham, Merchant, Is Dead; Sudden End of a Man of Notable Career, Known for His Broad and Liberal Activities", PDF file with full text of The New York Times obituary, June 29, 1911.