Donald Strauss, Ex-Newport Mayor, Dies
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NEWPORT BEACH — Donald A. Strauss, former mayor of Newport Beach and vice president of administration for Beckman Instruments Inc., died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday. He was 79.
A Newport Beach resident for 38 years, Strauss served as a city councilman for 12 years before he became the city’s mayor from 1988-89.
Strauss joined Beckman in 1952 as director of employee relations.
“He had a big influence during the critical years of Beckman’s growth,” said Louis T. Rosso, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer.
A Chicago native, Strauss received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree in industrial relations from Cornell University. He later became an instructor of employee relations at UCLA and Whittier College.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Dorothy; three children, Gordon, Nancy and Duncan, and three grandchildren.
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