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Oscar Straus Memorial

The memorial viewed from above (date unknown)
38°53′38″N 77°01′54″W / 38.8938°N 77.0316°W / 38.8938; -77.0316
Location	Washington, D.C.
Designer	Adolph Alexander Weinman
Type	Memorial
Material	Marble
Dedicated date	October 26, 1947
Dedicated to	Oscar Straus

The Oscar S. Straus Memorial in Washington, D.C., commemorates the accomplishments of the first Jew to serve in the cabinet of a U.S. president. Oscar Solomon Straus was Secretary of Commerce and Labor under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1906 to 1909. The memorial is a marble fountain located in the Federal Triangle on 14th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. It is located in front of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

The fountain was designed by Adolph Alexander Weinman, funded with a public subscription beginning in 1929, and dedicated on October 26, 1947. In the center of the memorial is the massive fountain with the inscription "statesman, author, diplomat" and to each side are two groups of statues, one called Justice (to symbolize the religious freedom which allowed a Jew to serve in such a position of authority) and the other Reason (to symbolize the capitalism and labor efforts put forth by Straus).

It was rededicated on October 26, 1998.

• The Justice portion of the memorial which celebrates the "inherent right" to worship.
• Reason
• Reason
• Justice

See also

• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6

References

1. "Oscar Straus Memorial". Goethe Institute. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
2. "Oscar S. Straus: Fountain at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C." www.DCmemorials.com. 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
3. "Come & Explore". www.itcdc.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
4. "Rededication Ceremony Oscar S. Straus Memorial October 26, 1998" (PDF). wholedamfam. Straus Historical Society, Inc. February 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.

External links

• Media related to Oscar Straus Memorial at Wikimedia Commons
• Panorama

• Judaism
• Law
• United States
• Visual arts

• 1947 sculptures
• Allegorical sculptures in Washington, D.C.
• Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.
• Fountains in Washington, D.C.
• Jewish-American history
• Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
• Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
• Sculptures of women in Washington, D.C.
• Statues in Washington, D.C.