Robert Schwarz Strauss (born 1918) was a master fundraiser and strategist for the Democratic Party between 1968 and 1980, active in both Texan and national campaigns. He later served as U.S. Ambassador to Russia under President George Bush.

Robert Schwarz Strauss was born in Lockhart, Texas, on October 19, 1918. He grew up in Stamford, Texas, the son of a small-town merchant who ran a dry-goods business. Robert helped out behind the counter as he grew up. Despite his family's modest circumstances and the fact that the country was in the midst of the Depression, Strauss entered the University of Texas at Austin. There he got his first taste of politics when he worked as a clerk at the state capitol in order to support himself at school. While at the University of Texas, he met and began a long-lasting friendship with John B. Connally, future governor of Texas. In 1937 he worked...