Background
Haas was born to a Jewish family in San Francisco, one of three children of Walter A. Haas and Elise Stern.
Businessman chairman president
Haas was born to a Jewish family in San Francisco, one of three children of Walter A. Haas and Elise Stern.
In 1940, he graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor"s degree in economics. In 1943, he graduated cum laude as a Baker Scholar from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and then worked as a welder until the end of World World War World War II
After school, he went to work for an advertising agency in San Francisco. He was rejected by the military because of poor eyesight. In 1976, he became president and chief executive officer, and from 1981 until 1989, he was chairman of the board.
From 1989 until his death, he was chairman of the company"s executive committee.
From 1966 to 1975 and from 1994 to 1997, he served as a trustee for the University of California Berkeley Foundation.
Haas served as president and member of the board of directors from 1970 to 1981.