Daniel E. Koshland Sr. (18921979) was an American businessman who served as the president and CEO (1955-1958) of Levi Strauss & Co.

Biography

Koshland was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in San Francisco, the son of Marcus Koshland and Corinne Schweitzer.Butler Koshland Fellowships: "Daniel E. Koshland Sr.
retrieved April 21, 2014 He was the grandson of

Simon Koshland Simon Koshland (1825–1896) was a Bavarian-born American businessman, and wool merchant. He is the patriarch of the Koshland and Haas family of San Francisco.The Jews of San Francisco, by Martin A. Meyer, Ph.D., Emanu-El, San Francisco, June 1 ...

, one of the most successful wool merchants in San Francisco who also taught Koshland's father the trade. Koshland graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco and graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. After graduation he worked as a banker in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and in 1917, returned to San Francisco where he attended the US Army officer training program at the

Presidio A presidio (''jail, fortification'') was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire mainly between the 16th and 18th centuries in areas under their control or influence. The term is derived from the Latin word ''praesidium'' meaning ''pr ...

. He was not allowed to transfer to the Intelligence Corps overseas during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

because of his German last name and instead served at

Governor's Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Par ...

, New York. In 1922, he returned to San Francisco where he joined his brother-in-law Walter A. Haas Sr. at Levi Strauss & Co. which was at the time a small manufacturer of work clothing and a small drygoods wholesaler. Koshland's tenure at Levi Strauss – along with that of his brother-in-law – is widely credited with saving the company leading it through the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, racial integration at its factories, the global popularization of the Levi brand, and the creation of the Levi Strauss Foundation. Koshland served as CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. from 1955 to 1958.

Philanthropy

In 1948, he established the

San Francisco Foundation San Francisco Foundation is a San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with ...

. Koshland served with various charities in varying capacities in the San Francisco area including the Industrial Welfare Commission; the Human Rights Commission; the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Committee;

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

; Mount Zion Hospital; the Community Chest; the United Bay Area Crusade; the Citizen's Lobby for Freedom and Fair Play; the San Francisco Development Commission on Low-Cost Housing; the Council on Civic Unity; and the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

. He organized the business community to create jobs for

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

refugees and served as the national vice chairman of the

United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

. He was active in the founding of

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

and promoted the development low-cost community colleges specifically the

College of San Mateo College of San Mateo (CSM) is a public community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District. College of San Mateo is located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley and situated on a 153-a ...

and

Cañada College Cañada College is a public community college in Redwood City, California. It is located on in the western part of Redwood City. The college offers 80 A.A./A.S. degree programs and 48 certificate programs. History In 1957, the San Mateo ...

. Several awards have been dedicated in his honor including the Jewish Community Federation's Haas/Koshland Award, the Koshland Young Leader Award of the

, and the Butler Koshland Fellowships.

Personal life

In 1918, he married his cousin Eleanor Haas (Eleanor's mother Fanny was Koshland's aunt), daughter of Haas family patriarch

Abraham Haas Abraham Haas (1847 – August 8, 1921) was an American businessman, co-founder of Hellman, Haas & Co. (later Haas, Baruch & Co., which ultimately merged with Smart & Final), and patriarch of the Haas family, the primary shareholders of Levi Str ...

. They had three children:

Daniel E. Koshland Jr. Daniel Edward Koshland Jr. (March 30, 1920July 23, 2007) was an American biochemist. He reorganized the study of biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and was the editor of the leading U.S. science journal, ''Science'', from 1985 ...

(married to Marian Elliot Koshland), Frances "Sissy" Koshland Geballe (married to Theodore H. Geballe), and Phyllis Koshland Friedman. Eleanor would later be diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

and would devote a good portion of her philanthropy toward people with disabilities. After the death of his first wife, he married Lucile Heming in 1959.The Regents of The University of California: "Lucile Heming Koshland – Citizen Participation in Government" An Interview Conducted by Harriet Nathan
1971

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koshland, Daniel E. 1892 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American philanthropists Haas family University of California, Berkeley alumni Levi Strauss & Co. people Koshland family