Born in Manchester, he was the son of Henry S Straus of Sedgley Park, a merchant and vice consul for the Netherlands. Following education at Harrow School he was articled to Hale & Sons, colonial brokers in the City of London.[4] The company specialised in the importation of ostrich feathers, ivory, rubber, mother of pearl, drugs, gums, spices, cocoa, mica, isinglass, fibres and carpets.[5] He subsequently became a partner in the business, from which he retired in 1898. He was later chairman of Virol Limited, manufacturers of "Virol", a malt extract based vitamin preparation.

Mr. B. S. STRAUS, J.P. By the death of Mr. B. S. Strauss on Saturday, at 8E, Hyde Park Mansions, English Jewry loses a prominent public and communal worker. Bertram Stuart Straus, who was born in Manchester on March 17th, 1867, was the youngest sen of the late Mr. Henry Sigismund Straus, of Sedgley Park, Manchester, who was for many years Vice-Consul for the Netherlands in Manchester. He was educated at Harrow School and on the Continent, and on coming to London the deceased became an active worker in public life. In 1898, he was elected Progressive member of the London County Council for Mile End, and for nine years was a member of the St. Marylebone Borough Council and, later, Vice-Chairman of its Public Health Committee. In 1895. he unsuccessfully contested West Marylebone in the Liberal interest at the General Election, and he unsuccessfully contested St. George-in-the-East in 1900 and Mile End in 1905. He won the Mile End seat for the Liberal Party in 1906, but four years later he lost the seat by a small majority. In 1908, he introduced into Parliament the Traffic Bill, limiting speed in populous areas ; and in 1909 he was unanimously elected Secretary to the London Liberal Members of the House of Commons. The late Mr. Straus was Chairman of the Labour Investigation Committee, Stepney, was elected Chairman of the Bench of Marylebone Magistrates in 1919, and served in that capacity for two years. He was also President of the Mile End “ League of Mercy", Chairman of the Hanwell Asylum, a Justice of the Peace for the County of London, and for four years was Chairman of the St. Marylebone War Pensions Committee. An active worker and speaker on Jewish interests, he staunchly defended the Jewish position in matters of alien legislation, trading, education, etc. He was associated with the work of the B'nai B'rith since the time of its foundation and represented the East London Synagogue at the Deputies of British Jews. He was a member of the Deputies for twenty-six- years and in 1926 he was elected Treasurer Mr. Straus was a member of the Committee of the Jews' Infant Schools, Chairman of Virol, Limited, for over thirty years, and at one time was a partner in the firm of Hale and Son, of Mincing Lane, Colonial brokers. On Tuesday the remains of Mr. Straus were cremated at Golders Green. The Rev. Vivian Simmons conducted the Service.