Steven Straw

  General Notes:

Notes for STEVEN STRAW:

AMESBURY, Mass. - Steven Straw, 51, of 53 Friend St. "The Elms," Amesbury, passed away tragically on Monday evening, June 2, 2003, in Amesbury, Mass.
Born in Seabrook, N.H., Feb. 7, 1952, he was the son of Merle D. Straw Jr. and Helen L. (McClintock) Straw.
Attending the local school system, he graduated from Winnacunnet High School, Class of 1970. Seeking no further formal education, he was self-taught, and he was extremely proud of this discipline.
Demonstrating a remarkable artistic aptitude at a young age, he nurtured his talent and eventually opened his own gallery. A resident of Newburyport and Amesbury, he quickly established himself in the community as the proprietor of Steven Straw & Co. Operating initially from the State Street locale, he later moved to Green Street, both in Newburyport. His artistic appreciation would soon expand. He had a penchant for antiques. With his keen, sharp eye, he had the distinct ability to unearth the beauty of both old and new; one man's trash, another's treasure; he was endowed with a special talent.
He traveled extensively, and had a particular love of flying, whether by airplane or helicopter, being airborne was something he enjoyed. He saw these journeys as yet another way to broaden his horizons. Favorite destinations were such places as Bermuda and Paris, France, and, his first love, was Boston, Mass. He was fascinated by the "glitz and glamour" of urban life and prided himself on his keen sense of direction. Basking in the anonymity of any metropolis, he recognized diversity and multi-culture, and often simply "got lost in the city."
He had a special appreciation for music and his taste ran the gamut from classical to the very classic rock ?n roll. He had a special affinity for Led Zepplin, often recalled fondly a concert he attended when thy performed live at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in the early 1970s.
He is fondly remembered as an active thinker, in that he reveled in stimulating debates and greatly appreciated engaging in thought-provoking discussions. A political enthusiast, and "Sunday morning analyst," his political awareness and ideological beliefs in large part defined his unique personality. He was especially interested in the recent war in Iraq, and was always ready to share his views or personal objectives.
He was a ferocious reader, and held in high esteem his pedigree of being self-educated. He particularly prided himself on his accomplishments in paralegal studies. He would later refer to this pool of knowledge in his own defense. Overwhelmed by his successes and artistic prowess, he found his catapult to fame difficult to maintain. Battling the demons that overtook him, this soon became his greatest challenge.
He was however, most proud of his recent personal accomplishments. Diagnosed as bi-polar some 20 years ago, he was often misunderstood and regularly battled with the stigma his condition carried. Establishing a comfort level with his medical team and his treatment was often a difficult balancing act, and one he strived to maintain. Most recently, involving himself in a research study program with a specific medical assembly in Cambridge, Mass., he had hoped with this participation to further advance the socialization of mental illness. Returning to mainstream living was paramount for him. At present, for just over a year, he had resided at "The Elms" in Amesbury, and had found his path to successful, independent living within this household. He held a genuine appreciation for his friends there, and took great comfort in that this understanding and appreciation was reciprocal. Volunteering of late at a food pantry in Newburyport, Mass., this work provided him with a great sense of contribution and personal fulfillment; he greatly enjoyed the energy generated from people interacting.
He attended the Seabrook Church of Christ, and participated regularly in worship.
loving father of two daughters, he valued his children immensely. Their many successes, especially their professional accomplishments, in teaching and graphic design, were sources of great pride to him.
In addition to his father of Hampton Beach and his mother of Hampton, he is survived by his daughters Hillary of Haverhill, Mass. and Olivia of Byfield, Mass. and Chicago, Ill.; his brothers, M. David Straw III and his wife, Carol, of Freedom, N.H., and Robert Alan of Hampton, N.H.; and several nieces and nephews.

STRAW - Steven Straw, 51, of 53 Friend St., Amesbury, Mass., died June 2, 2003. Memorial services will be held on Monday morning, June 9 at 11 a.m., at the Church of Christ, 867 Lafayette Road, Seabrook. In keeping with the wishes of his family, there will be no visiting hours. Interment will be private. In his memory, contributions may be made to the Church of Christ, P.O. Box 1357, Seabrook, N.H. 03874, or to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, P.O. Box 79972, Baltimore, Md. 21279-0972. Arrangements under the direction of the Robert K. Gray Jr. Funeral Home, 24 Winnacunnet Road, Hampton, N.H.



Wednesday, June 4, 2003
Disgraced art dealer found dead
By Jessica Benson and Dan Hackett Staff Writers
At 27, Steven Straw was flying around the country in his own plane, making deals with art galleries from New York City to Beverly Hills for works by masters like William de Kooning, Salvador Dali and Winslow Homer.
It was 1979, and he was making $500,000 a year -- an enormous sum for the era -- as president of Steven Straw Co., Inc.
He was the "boy wonder" of the art world -- a kid from Seabrook, N.H., who had purchased his first painting at age 14 for $75 and opened his own gallery in downtown Newburyport at 22.
Age, the self-assured young man told an interviewer, is "nothing more than a date on your driver's license."
At 51, Steven Straw is dead.
Sometime Monday night, police say, he removed his shoes, shirt and pants and placed them carefully on a bench near where the Powow River rushes through downtown Amesbury. Then he threw himself into the stream. Running fast after recent heavy rains, it swept his body down into the Merrimack River, where it was found yesterday.
In the late 1970s, Straw made headlines nationwide when he was exposed as a swindler -- a man who sold art and antiques he did not own, as well as some he did, and who took millions of dollars from "investors" and used the money to repay earlier creditors.
He went bankrupt and he went to prison.
Almost 25 years ago, he was featured in Time magazine as the central figure in one of the biggest art scandals of the century. When he took his own life this week, Straw was largely forgotten -- except by those who chronicled his swindles, or were victimized by them.
A one-time millionaire who lived in a mansion on High Road in Newbury and tooled around in a Mercedes-Benz roadster, he had been living at The Elms, a "sober house" for recovering addicts in downtown Amesbury, not far from where he jumped into the Powow River.
He was last seen about 8 Monday night by fellow residents of the halfway house. They said he appeared distraught.
"He went from the highest highs to the lowest lows," said Ronald Barrett of Plum Island, who knew Straw through his father, a local art restorer. "He was a high roller."
Sam Pennington, owner of the Maine Antique Digest, which followed Straw's later legal battles, recalls that Straw, the son of Merle Straw Jr., a reputable local auctioneer, did well when he first opened his gallery in Newburyport.
He sold small paintings by "good American artists."
"Bu then he got into selling things he didn't own," Pennington said.
Straw first came to Pennington's attention when Pennington heard of charges Straw had sold a half-interest in an antiques collection that had actually been auctioned off by Southeby's two years before.
As one of the attorneys working for several years on Straw's bankruptcy proceedings, Robert Somma of Newbury heard similar stories -- like the one about the man who saw a painting he thought he had boght from Straw hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Somma said Straw explained that his art swindles were driven by his need to make up for financial losses he suffered in commodities trading.
His sindles succeeded, at least initially, because people trusted him, Somma and others said.
His father's reputation in art and antique circles gave him a head start, but his own personality brought him to the top of his game.
"He was obviously very bright. He had excellent taste in art. He was extremely mild-mannered and thus, by virtue of that, very deceptive in his manner," Somma said. "People, I think, tended to have a positive reaction to him."
Straw impressed Pennington, too, despite the negative stories.
"I could talk to him when he was in his dire straits and he was always polite. Steven was always a rather gentle person," Pennington said. "Basically, Steven was a nice guy."
Not everyone thought so.
"He was just a criminal, stole money from people," said Barrett, who knew people who either worked for traw or were swindled by him. "He spent a lot of money when he was stealing from people."
Straw did, indeed, live the high life for a while. Besides flying in a private plane, he was known to make appearances via helicopter.
In addition to his home in Newbury, he owned two properties in downtown Newburyport: the building that housed his gallery on Green Street and the historic Garrison Inn, which he was in the process of restoring when the scandal broke. He also owned an interest in Scandia Restaurant, then a major high-end restaurant in Newburyport.
Before he became embroiled in controversy, a Newburyport Daily News headline declared Straw "one of a disappearing lot ... the self-made success."
But Straw lost everything in bankruptcy, including his large art collection.
"All of it was taken from him and sold by the trustees," Somma said, adding that creditors received about 10 cents on the dollar.
The first creditor to come forward publicly was a New York art dealer who filed a civil suit in Essex County Superior Court claiming he never saw his share of a $15 million art collection -- including a Rembrandt -- that Straw claimed to be buying, using some of the dealer's money.
Other creditors soon followed with similar claims, which led to an FBI investigation.
In 1980, Straw declared liabilities of $16 million, but only $1.7 million in assets. Around the same time, he pleaded guilty to fraud and served just over two years of a 40-month jail sentence.
Somma never talked to Straw after he went to jail for the first time and the bankruptcy cases were finalized. He did hear stories about Straw getting into trouble again and going back to jail, though he doesn't remember the details.
Pennington last talked to Straw in between jail terms. Straw told him he was suffering from a chemical dependency -- Pennington wasn't too surprised because he recalled Straw once saying something about being a manic depressive.
It was unclear what happened to Straw in more recent years. Those contacted said they lost track of Straw a long time ago.
It was also unclear how Straw ended up at The Elms or how long he had been there. The average stay at the facility is between 12 and 18 months.
Though Straw never returned to The Elms Monday night, it didn't appear that anything was seriously wrong until early the next morning.
At 6:53 a.m., a pedestrian walking through the Upper Millyard found clothes on a park bench and called 911.
"Somebody thought it was curious to find a shirt, shoes and pants on a bench right by the water. That's how it all started," said Police Officer Glenn Chaput.
The 911 call touched off an extensive search. A specially trained team of Amesbury and Newburyport firefighters searched a stretch of the Powow that travels underneath downtown buildings. Acting Fire Chief Bill Shute was lowered by rope to check one section under Main Street.
Straw's body was later found about two miles away from where he disappeared, in the Merrimack, upriver from the Whittier (I-95) Bridge.
Straw leaves two daughters, Olivia and Hillary, and an ex-wife, Joan Straw, an employee of the Newburyport Public Library.
A man who answered the phone last night at Joan Straw's Byfield home said she did not want to talk about her ex-husband's death.

Steven married Living