Rhoda Haas Goldman (September 20, 1924 – February 17, 1996) was an American billionaire in San Francisco, California. She was a member of the board of directors of Levi Strauss & Co. from 1985 until her death in 1996.

Biography

Rhoda Goldman was the only daughter born to Walter A. Haas and Elise Stern (an heiress to the

Levi Strauss Levi Strauss ( ; born Löb Strauß, ; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm of Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 in San Franci ...

fortune), and great-granddaughter of

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

. In 1996, she made $1.3 billion in accepting the leveraged buyout of the Levi Strauss company, which she opposed. She died of a heart attack during the execution of the transaction. She was a graduate of 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 ...

and, in 1946, she married fellow Berkeley alumnus Richard N. Goldman.New York Times: "Rhoda H. Goldman, Civic Benefactor, 71"
February 20, 1996 In 1951, the couple founded the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, a foundation that has donated over $680 million to various organizations. The

Goldman School of Public Policy The Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, or the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP), is a public policy school and one of fourteen schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally named the Graduate Sch ...

at Berkeley is named after the Goldmans. She was president of the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...

, chairwoman of San Francisco's Memorial to the Six Million Victims of the Holocaust, director of the Mount Zion Health System, president of the Mount Zion Hospital and Medical Center, and president of

Congregation Emanu-El Emanu-El, Temple Emanu-El, Congregation Emanu-El, or variants may refer to: United States *Temple Emanu-El (Birmingham, Alabama) * Temple Emanu-El (Tucson), Arizona, formerly Temple Emanu-El * Temple Emanuel of Tempe, Arizona *Congregation Emanu- ...

, the city's largest reform Jewish synagogue. She was a major supporter of environmental causes and San Francisco arts organizations and a co-founder with her husband of the

Goldman Environment Prize The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmentalism, environmental activists. History Awardees are named from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, ...

in 1990.

Personal life

Rhoda and Richard Goldman married in 1946. They had four children:

John D. Goldman John D. Goldman (born August 18, 1949) is an American businessman and philanthropist in San Francisco, California. He is a member of the Haas family through his mother. Biography Goldman was born to a Jewish family on August 18, 1949, in San Fra ...

, Douglas E. Goldman, Susan R. Gelman, and Richard W. Goldman (deceased).Jewish Telegraph Agency: "Philanthropist Richard Goldman dies at 90" By Ami Eden
November 30, 2010 Her grandson, son of Richard, is attorney and New York Congressman Daniel S. Goldman. Funeral services were held at

in San Francisco.

References

External links

Finding Aid for the Richard N. and Rhoda H. Goldman papers, 1863-2003

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldman, Rhoda Haas 1924 births 1996 deaths American philanthropists Philanthropists from San Francisco Haas family University of California, Berkeley alumni