Leon Joseph Koerner

Leon Joseph Koerner (May 24, 1892 – September 26, 1972) was a Czech-born Canadian industrialist and philanthropist in British Columbia.

He was born in Nový Hrozenkov in what is now the Czech Republic he was able to market western hemlock 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, the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation, which contributed to education, the creative arts and social programs, particularly in British Columbia. 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.