Walter A. Haas

Walter A. Haas Sr. (May 11, 1889 – December 7, 1979), was an American billionaire businessman who was the president and chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. Early life and education Haas was born to a Jewish family, one of four children of Abraham Haas and Fanny Koshland. His father was an immigrant from Bavaria who founded the Hellman, Haas and Company which eventually became the Smart & Final grocery store chain. His mother was the daughter of Simon Koshland, one of the most successful wool merchants in San Francisco. His siblings were Charles, Ruth (1891), and Eleanor (1900). In 1910, Haas graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a member of the Order of the Golden Bear. Haas served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery during World War I.