At age 7, Louis Heilbron took his first trip to Europe, a visit he remembered all his life. That’s because he arrived in Sarajevo just two hours after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the event that triggered World War I.
He and his mother made a quick getaway that day in June 1914, but it wasn’t the only time Heilbron was an eyewitness to history. Over the course of a long and fruitful life, Louis Heilbron became a well-respected leader, both in the legal profession and in the Bay Area Jewish community.
Heilbron died Wednesday, Dec. 20 after a short illness. He was 99.
There are probably very few people who can claim to have worked at the same firm for more than 72 years. But Heilbron did, serving as a lawyer/partner with the downtown San Francisco law firm of Heller Ehrman.
“He was a vivid link with history,” said Adam Cole, a shareholder (partner) at Heller Ehrman, “with a crystal-clear mind even five months shy of 100 years old.
“Lou was the oldest living partner and the longest serving. He had his retirement party 28 years ago, but continued to come into the office every day the last 28 years.”
Heilbron’s specialty was labor law, and he used his expertise to assist diverse clients like Langendorf Bakery, Cal State San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank, Gumps and Sherman & Clay. He also played a pivotal role in representing government authorities pondering where to locate SFO (Treasure Island was one possible site Heilbron argued against).
In the Bay Area Jewish community, Heilbron’s impact was felt far and wide. Over the years, he served as president of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and the American Jewish Committee, and on many other boards.
“Our conversations always started out with Lou saying, ‘Ernie, what’s new?,’ and that was the springboard,” said Ernest Weiner, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, Bay Area chapter. “Lou was that rare combination of a superbly informed mind with a rich understanding of the problems and prospects life held out to the Jewish people, and an almost insatiable need to know.”
Born May 12, 1907, Heilbron grew up in San Francisco and attended Lowell High School before enrolling at U.C. Berkeley. He played varsity tennis for Cal and earned his law degree from Boalt Hall in 1931.
He began working at Heller Ehrman in 1934. During the war years, he served in the army, even though he was well over draft age. Heilbron helped the military coordinate labor relations in post-war Austria.
Earlier, while attending Cal he met Delphine Rosenblatt. The two married the day after the stock market crash in October 1929, but their marriage suffered no such bad luck. The couple remained together for 64 years.
“They had a wonderful marriage,” said son David Heilbron, a Tiburon attorney. “Their only real arguments had to do with driving which neither one of them did very well.” The couple’s other son, John, is a U.K.-based historian.
“He was dedicated to the Jewish community,” added Dave Heilbron. “He thought it was a very important thing to preserve the culture of Judaism. He didn’t become a member of a board unless he wanted to be there, because life was too short and he had lots on his plate. When he took on those responsibilities, he took them seriously.”
Heilbron also served as board member and/or president of Congregation Emanu-El (1954-1957), the Human Rights Commission of San Francisco (1969-1975) and many more. As president and board member of the World Affairs Council, he met such world leaders as Charles de Gaulle and Nikita Khrushchev. He was also the first chair of the Board of Trustees of the California State Colleges (now universities).
In retirement, Heilbron stayed just as busy, serving as a mentor for young lawyers. “He was an embodiment of the institutional history and excellence of this firm,” added Cole. “Every year he would meet with our summer associates and get to know them. He was a raconteur par excellence, a marvelous speaker and extraordinarily entertaining.”
Adds David Heilbron, “He just stayed with the program until the end. Even in the last week we were talking about how lousy the 49ers were. My brother is fond of saying that we were all friends. That’s a special thing, to last so long.”
Louis Heilbron is survived by his sons John and David, sister Juliet Krasne and three granddaughters.