Walter A. Haas, Sr. son of the founder of Hellman-Haas Grocery (which became Smart & Final

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 Grocery, was founded in 1871. The company has expanded to over 250 stores in the Western...

), was a former President and Chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. Haas was credited with saving the once struggling company.

Biography

Haas graduated with a BS

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree from the UC Berkeley College of Commerce in 1910. He also earned an honorary degree from Berkeley in 1958. In 1989, the UC Regents voted to rename the business school the Haas School of Business

Haas School of Business

The Walter A. Haas School of Business, also known as the Haas School of Business or simply Haas, is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley....

 in his honor, after a large gift from the Haas family. Haas had three children: Rhoda Haas Goldman

Rhoda Haas Goldman

Rhoda Haas Goldman was an American philanthropist in San Francisco, California. She was the daughter of Walter Haas, and an heiress of the Levi Strauss fortune. She married Richard Goldman in 1946. The couple founded the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund in 1951, a foundation that has donated over...

, Peter E. Haas, and Walter A. Haas, Jr.

Walter A. Haas, Jr.

Walter A. Haas, Jr. was a president and CEO and chairman of Levi Strauss & Co, succeeding his father Walter A. Haas. He led the company in its growth from a regional manufacturer and wholesaler of work clothes to one of the world’s leading apparel companies...

.

Haas served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. A Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, he was an alternate delegate to the 1952 Republican National Convention

1952 Republican National Convention

The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois from July 7 to July 11, 1952 and nominated the popular general and war hero Dwight D...

. He was Jewish, and served as president of the San Francisco Jewish Welfare Federation.