Guide to the Strassburger Family Oversize Photographic Collection c. 1865-1970

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Strassburger Family Oversize Photographic Collection
Creator
Strassburger Family
Collection Number
MSR#548
Extent
2.0 linear feet linear feet (9 Oversize Folders)
Date
c. 1865-1970
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 Strassburger Family oversize photographic collection consists of family portraits and group events from reunions, gatherings, and dinners.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was originally prepared by Rachel Balliet on July 18, 1994 and revised by Theresa E. Rea with generous support from the PNC Charitable Trusts- J. Samuel and Rose Y. Cox Foundation and the Giant Eagle Foundation, on January 13, 2010.
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

With a previous catalog designation of PFR#2, the Strassburger Family oversize photographic collection consists of nine folders that include family portraits and group events from reunions, gatherings, and dinners. Portraits of Eugene B. Strassburger, Sr., Julia Strassburger, and the family are in the collection. Also included are events and organizations that Eugene B. Strassburger, Sr., was involved with or in which he participated. These photographs consist of a banquet portrait from a dinner for Edward Meyer at the Concordia Club in 1925 and the initial Board of Directors for the Maurice and Laura Falk Foundation. Other photographs in the oversize collection include group photographs from Eugene B. Strassburger's graduation from Pittsburgh Central High School and Harvard. A class reunion group photograph containing Eugene B. Strassburger, Jr.'s Harvard Law School class is also in the collection.

Arrangement

  1. The collection consists of nine folders 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 Oversize Photographic Collection, c. 1865-1970, MSR#548, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

This collection was originally processed by Rachel Balliet on July 18, 1994. Further processing and rearrangement 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.

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 archival box consisting of the Strassburger Family Photographs, previously cited as PFF#2, has been separated, arranged, and described with the catalog designation of MSP#548.

One oversize folder of documents entitled theStrassburger Family Oversize Materials, previously designated as PFO#2, has been separated, arranged, and described with the catalog designation of MSO#548.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Concordia Club
    • Maurice and Laura Falk Foundation
    • Harvard University
    • Pittsburgh Central High School

    Personal Names

    • Strassburger Family
    • Strassburger, Eugene B., 1886-1978
    • Strassburger, Eugene B., Jr., 1917-1984

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Jews, Social Life and Customs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Lawyers--Pennsylvania--Pittsburg
    • Lawyers, Jewish -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List

Family Portrait, 1965
Containers
Box 1, Folder 1
Strassburger, Eugene B. Jr.-Harvard Law School Class of 1941-25th Reunion, 1966
Containers
Box 1, Folder 2
Strassburger, Julia-Portrait, c. 1865
Containers
Box 1, Folder 8
William Penn Hotel, 1953
Containers
Box 1, Folder 9