banker Businessman Chief Executive Officer of Levi Strauss
Koshland was born to a Jewish family in San Francisco, the son of Marcus Koshland and Corinne Schweitzer. He was the grandson of Simon Koshland, 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 Bachelor of Surgery in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduation he worked as a banker in New York City and in 1917, returned to San Francisco where he attended the United States Army officer training program at the Presidio.
He was not allowed to transfer to the Intelligence Corps overseas during World War I because of his German last name and instead served at Governor"s Island, New New York Koshland served as Chief Executive Officer of Levi Straus & Company from 1955 to 1958. In 1948, he established the San Francisco Foundation.
He organized the business community to create jobs for World World War II refugees and served as the national vice chairman of the United Negro College Fund.
He was active in the founding of Brandeis University and promoted the development low-cost community colleges specifically the College of San Mateo and Cañada College.
