Charles Helme Strater
Early Life
Charles Helme Strater was born on January 19, 1884, in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Charles Godfrey Strater and Adeline Sutphen Helme. He later relocated to Rye, New York, where he became part of a well-established and civically engaged community.
By 1915, he was residing in Rye on Locust Avenue and had established both a professional and family life. He married Alice Bacon Barnes in 1912, and the couple raised four children in Rye, maintaining a prominent presence in the area.
Professionally, Strater worked as an attorney, with business ties to New York City, including an office at 40 Wall Street, reflecting a career within the legal and financial networks of the region.
World War I Service
Strater entered military service on October 16, 1918, when he enrolled in the United States Naval Reserve Force at the New York Mobilization Station.
He was assigned to the Naval Training Station at Great Lakes, Illinois, where he served as an Apprentice Seaman during the final weeks of the war. Naval training stations such as Great Lakes were central to preparing recruits for service, providing instruction in seamanship, discipline, and naval operations during a period of rapid expansion of the Navy.
Strater’s active service spanned from October 23, 1918, to November 11, 1918, the date of the Armistice. His service, though brief, reflects the final mobilization phase of the war, when many men entered training just as hostilities were drawing to a close.
He was released to inactive duty on December 5, 1918, and later discharged with the rating of Seaman.
Life After Service
Following his military service, Strater returned to his legal career and remained an active and respected member of the Rye community. He was a communicant of Christ’s Church in Rye and contributed to local civic life.
After the death of his father, he donated funds from the family estate to support the Rye Free Reading Room, leading to the establishment of the Charles G. Strater Memorial Reference Room, a lasting contribution to the cultural and educational life of the city.
Charles Helme Strater died suddenly on July 17, 1944, at his home on Locust Avenue in Rye at the age of 60.
He was survived by his wife, Alice Strater; his sons, Captain Charles H. Strater Jr. of the Field Artillery and First Lieutenant John Strater of an anti-aircraft unit in Italy; his daughters, Caroline Martineau and Mary Robinson; and his brothers, Leonard J. Strater and Henry Strater.