Walter A. Haas Sr. (May 11, 1889 – December 7, 1979), was an American billionaire businessman who was the president and CEO (1928-1955) and chairman (1955-1970) of

Levi Strauss & Co Levi Strauss & Co. ( ) is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's ( ) brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, ...

Early life and education

Haas 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, one of four children of Abraham Haas and Fanny Koshland.Jewish Museum of the American West: "Abraham Haas: Purveyer of Food Stuffs, Wholesale & Retail, Part 1, Los Angeles"
retrieved April 21, 2014 His father was an immigrant from

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

who was a founder of Hellman, Haas & Co. (later Haas, Baruch & Co., which ultimately merged with

Smart & Final Smart & Final is a chain of warehouse-style food and supply stores based in Commerce, California, which developed through a series of mergers and expansions. The oldest of the combined companies, Hellman, Haas & Co., was founded in 1871 in Lo ...

). His mother was a daughter of Simon Koshland, one of the most successful wool merchants in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

.Jewish Museum of the American West: "Abraham Haas: Purveyer of Food Stuffs, Wholesale & Retail, Part 2, Los Angeles"
retrieved April 21, 2014 His siblings were Charles Haas (1888-?), Ruth Haas Lilienthal (1891-1975, m. Philip N. Lilienthal Jr.), and Eleanor Haas Koshland (1900-1959, m. Daniel E. Koshland Sr.). In 1910, Haas graduated 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 ...

, where he was a member of the Order of the Golden Bear.University of California Berkeley website: About Walter Haas
retrieved March 27, 2013 Haas served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery 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 ...

Career

Upon his return to the United States in 1919, he worked at the Levi Strauss & Company, then a small dry goods wholesaler and maker of work clothing, owned by the family of his wife. In 1928, he became president and was in that position until 1955; thereafter, he was chairman until 1970 and remained active in company affairs until his death in 1979. Haas' tenure and dedication at Levi Strauss – along with that of his business partner and brother-in-law Daniel E. Koshland Sr. – 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.

Politics and philanthropy

A Republican, he was an alternate delegate to the

1952 Republican National Convention The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois from July 7 to 11, 1952, and nominated Dwight David Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower of New York (state), New York, nicknamed "Ike", for Pres ...

. He was president of the San Francisco Jewish Welfare Federation.

Personal life

In 1914, Walter Haas married Elise Stern, the daughter of Sigmund Stern, who was a son 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 ...

, who was the husband of Fanny Stern (née Strauss), the sister of

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 ...

(Strauss died unmarried and without children and deeded his company to his nephews, the four surviving sons of David Stern: Jacob, Sigmund, Louis and Abraham).JWeekly: "Levi’s exec Walter A. Haas Jr. recalled for generosity" by Natalie Weinstein
September 29, 1995 Walter and Elise Haas had three children: Walter A. Haas Jr., Peter E. Haas Sr., and Rhoda Haas GoldmanSan Francisco Gate: "The Haas Legacy / How one family's generosity and commitment to civic life are transforming the Bay Area" by Julian Guthrie
July 1, 2007 In 1989, the

Regents voted to rename the business school the

Haas School of Business The Walter A. Haas School of Business (branded as Berkeley Haas) is the business school of the University of California, Berkeley, a Public university, public research university in Berkeley, California. It was the first business school at a pub ...

in his honor, after a large gift from the Haas family.

References

* ''Who's Who in America 1964'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Walter A. 1889 births 1979 deaths American philanthropists Businesspeople from California Haas School of Business alumni Haas family Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Levi Strauss & Co. people Lowell High School (San Francisco) alumni Koshland family