Guide to the Strassburger Family Photographs c. 1865-1981
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Strassburger Family Photographs,
- Creator
- Strassburger Family
- Collection Number
- MSP#548
- Extent
- 0.25 linear feet (1 Box)
- Date
- c. 1865-1981
- Abstract
- Originally from Germany, the Strassburger family lived in Allegheny City and then in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The family was one of the earliest Jewish families to settle in the Pittsburgh area. The photographic collection consists of family portraits and group photographs of the Strassburger family, their descendants, friends, business associates, events, and the artwork of William J. Strassburger.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Originally from Germany, the Strassburger family lived in Allegheny City and then in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The family was one of the earliest Jewish families to settle in the Pittsburgh area. In 1867, Samuel Strassburger (1842-1922) came to the United States from Baden, Germany. After immigrating to the United States, he settled in Allegheny City, now Pittsburgh's North Side. He went into business with Charles Falk, operating a store on Federal Street.
In 1876, Samuel Strassburger married Julia Morganstern (1854-1929) and they had four children: William, Edwin, Eugene B., and Harvey. William J. Strassburger attended the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University in New York. He became president of the Grant Building Incorporated in Pittsburgh. He was also a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and maintained an interest in art and oil painting throughout his life.
Eugene B. Strassburger (1886-1978) graduated from Pittsburgh Central High School and then attended Harvard for both his undergraduate and law school degrees. After graduating from law school, he returned to Pittsburgh and joined the firm of William H. Lemon. In 1915, Strassburger married Constance Block and they had three children: Eugene Jr., Joan, and Martha. Strassburger also served in the armed services during World War I. After the death of Lemon in 1919, Strassburger and another associate of the firm, J. Frank McKenna, reorganized the firm as Strassburger and McKenna. In addition to his law practice, Strassburger was also a professor at the Duquesne University Law School from 1920 until 1940.
Eugene B. Strassburger, Jr., (1917-1984) also attended Harvard Law School and, after his graduation in 1941, joined his father's firm. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. About 1940, he married Jane Schanfarber and they had three children: Elaine, Eugene B. III, and Edwin. Eugene B. Strassburger III (1943- ) was the third member of his family to graduate from Harvard Law School and joined the firm started by his grandfather in 1967. He left the firm for a seat as judge of the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
Scope and Content Notes
The photographic collection consists of family portraits and group photographs of the Strassburger family, their descendants, friends, business associates, events, and the artwork of William J. Strassburger. The early family photographs include several portraits of Samuel and Julia Morganstern Strassburger and their son Eugene B. Strassburger. Other photographs include portraits of Eugene, William, Harvey, and Eugene Strassburger, Jr., Jane Schanfarber Strassburger, Leon Block and his wife, and other family members. A signed photograph of Judge Josiah Cohen, dated 1923, is also included in the collection. Photographs taken during the unveiling of "The Three Rivers" mural by artist Edward Trumbull for the Grant Building located in downtown Pittsburgh are in the collection. One group portrait from this event includes Eugene B. Strassburger, Edward Trumbull, architect Henry Hornbostel, and Director of the Carnegie Institute, Homer Saint-Goudens. Another group photograph of note shows Eugene B. Strassburger, Paul Freund, and William Benswanger, once president and chief executive of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League baseball team. Black and white photographs of William Strassburger's artwork document his work from about 1944 through 1949. The collection also includes photographs of Harvard Law School graduating classes and reunions.
Arrangement
- The Strassburger Family Photographs are housed in one archival box and are arranged alphabetically.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jane Strassburger, wife of Eugene B. Strassburger, Jr., on October 19, 1989.
Preferred Citation
Strassburger Family Photographs, c. 1865-1981, MSP#548, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center This collection has been previously cited as: Photographs of the Strassburger Family, c 1875-1981, PFF#2, Historical Society of Western PennsylvaniaGeneral
This collection has been previously cited as: Photographs of the Strassburger Family, c 1875-1981, PFF#2, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was originally processed by Rachel Balliet on July 18, 1994. Further processing, arrangement, and description of the collection provided by Theresa E. Rea on January 13, 2010.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
Materials related to the Strassburger Family Photographs are the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, MSS and MSP#399, of which William J. Strassburger was a member and in which Edward Trumbull participated.
Separated Materials
One archival box consisting of the Strassburger Family Papers, previously cited as PFT#2, has been separated, arranged, and described with the catalog designation of MSS#548.
One oversize folder of documents entitled the Strassburger Family Oversize Materials, previously designated as PFO#2, has been separated, arranged, and described with the catalog designation of MSO#548.
One oversize folder of photographs entitled the Strassburger Family Oversize Photographic Collection, previously designated as PFR#2, has been separated, arranged, and described with the catalog designation of MSR#548.
Subjects
- Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Harvard University (Cambridge, Ma.)
- Strassburger Family
- Block, Leon, ?-1922
- Hornbostel, Henry, 1867-1961
- Morganstern Family
- Saint-Goudens, Homer, 1880-?
- Strassburger, William, ?-1953
- Trumbull, Edward, 1884-1968
- Cohen, Josiah, c. 1840-1930
- Benswanger, William, 1892-1972
- Grant Building (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Art -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Jews, Social Life and Customs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Lawyers, Jewish -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh