Collection consists of awards and plaques received by Annette Strauss, former Mayor of the City of Dallas. Collection also contains photographs and media coverage of former Mayor Strauss. Please note: oversized items are stored in flat storage cabinets.

Annette Greenfield Strauss (1924 -1998) was born in Houston, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1944. She moved to New York City where she received master's degrees in sociology and psychology from Columbia University, married Theodore Strauss, Sr. in 1946 and moved to Dallas in 1947. Strauss was elected to the Dallas City Council in 1983, becoming deputy mayor pro tem and then mayor pro tem in 1984. In 1987, Strauss ran for mayor of Dallas and won with 56 percent of the vote. Although Adlene Harrison served as Mayor to fill a vacated term, Strauss became the first elected female mayor of Dallas. After her single term as mayor, Strauss continued fundraising work until her death in 1998. Many things have been named for Annette Strauss, including the Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award, the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Annette Strauss Artists' Square, an open-air performing arts space in downtown Dallas.