Strouss, Eisendrath & Company was founded in Chicago in 1885. The company was named after Louis Eisendrath, Erno Strouss (his brother-in-law) and a Mr Drom. A clothing company specialized in women’s and children’s clothes which not only sold garments at various department stores but also made the clothes at its own production facility. The company flourished and expanded. A 1907/1908 catalogue boasts “America’s Largest Garment Line” and “We sell over 10,000,000 Garments a Year” with branches in St. Louis, St. Paul, Salt Lake and San Francisco. After Mr. Drom left, the company changed its name to Strouss, Eisendrath & Company.

From the 1907/1908 catalogue

One of the founding partners was Louis Eisendrath who was president of the company until 1915. Louis was born in Laer, Westphalia in 1853. His parents were Levi Eisendrath and Helena Felsenthal. In 1842 his father Levi had moved from Dorsten to Laer in the Münsterland with his first wife where he worked as a cereal merchant until 1864. At that time he was married to Helena Felsenthal, his third wife, and had seven children. In 1864 Levi Eisendrath emigrated to the USA where his brothers lived. Helena and the younger children moved temporarily to her mother-in-law’s home in Dorsten and in1866 she sailed from Bremen on the Hansa to join her husband in the USA. Levi Eisendrath was working in liqueur production In Chicago.

The son Louis Eisendrath first worked as a travel agent. In 1878 he joined Kahn, Nussbaum & Company. In her 1931 doctoral dissertation (“The effect of an urban environment upon a large family group”) his niece, Ruth Eisendrath, says the following about Louis: 

“My Grandmother (Helena) was a most ambitious woman, and so were her children. I remember a story of Uncle Louis, which has become famous since. He was the star salesman for Kahn-Nussbaum and Company, and used to get his income by way of commissions on his sales. One year when the year was up his firm figured up that Louis Eisendrath made more money than any partner. So they called him into the office for a conference and told him that they wanted him for a partner. Of course Louis was elated. Soon, thereafter, by way of additional importance, Uncle Louis was given the key to the private washroom or the toilet room which only the partners were permitted to use. Well the year went by, and he found out that he got less than he would have received had he still been a salesman working on a commission basis. Naturally he was not satisfied with this new arrangement and went to his partners and gave back the key to the partners’ toilet room saying he would rather use the one which was used by the boys as there was more money in it for him.” 

Louis Eisendrath around 1925

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