Leon Joseph Koerner (May 24, 1892 – September 26, 1972) was a

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

n-born industrialist and philanthropist in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He was born in

Nový Hrozenkov Nový Hrozenkov is a market town in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants. Nový Hrozenkov lies on the Vsetínská Bečva river, approximately east of Vsetín, east of Zlín, and east of Pra ...

in what is now the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and was educated at the Export Academy in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

and the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. After serving in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he joined the family lumber company, becoming head of the company in 1920. In 1922, he married

Thea Rosenquist Theodora Anna Mathilde Julie Rosenquist (8 May 1896 – 26 July 1959), known as Thea Rosenquist, was a German stage and film actress. She acted in several Austrian silent films, and was considered a replacement for Liane Haid. She married industr ...

. With the rise of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, Koerner's family abandoned their possessions and business interests; he escaped to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and then travelled with his wife to North America. In

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, his wife came down with a severe case of the

mumps MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gener ...

. While his wife was recovering, Koerner acquired a defunct lumber mill in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

. Founding a timber company with his brothers Theodor, Otto, and

Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, he was able to market

western hemlock ''Tsuga heterophylla'', the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma ...

successfully as "Alaska pine". The company introduced innovative and progressive practices to the British Columbia forest industry such as selective logging, reforestation, improvements in workplace safety and better wages and benefits. Koerner became a Canadian citizen in 1947. In 1955, he and his wife created a foundation, th
Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation
which contributed to education, the creative arts and social programs, particularly in British Columbia. The Koerner House, Leon and Thea Koerner's residence in Palm Springs, California, was designed by master architect

E. Stewart Williams Emerson Stewart Williams, FAIA (November 15, 1909 – September 10, 2005) was a prolific Palm Springs, California-based architect whose distinctive modernist buildings, in the Mid-century modern style, significantly shaped the Coachella Val ...

in 1955. Thea Koerner died in 1959. Leon suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 1966. In May 1972, he suffered a broken hip after a fall and he died later that year at the age of 80 in his penthouse atop the Thea Koerner House Graduate Student Centre of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. Koerner was inducted into the

Canadian Business Hall of Fame The Canadian Business Hall of Fame celebrates the outstanding achievements of Canada's most distinguished business leaders, past and present. Over 170 Order of the Business Hall of Fame Companions serve as inspiring examples for all young Canadians ...

in 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koerner, Leon Joseph 1892 births 1972 deaths Canadian industrialists Canadian philanthropists Jews who emigrated to escape Nazism Czech Jews Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 20th-century philanthropists