High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Levi Strauss ( /ˌliːvaɪ ˈstrɔːs/, born L b Strau , German pronunciation: February 26, 1829 - September 26, 1902) was a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm, Levi Strauss Co., began in 1853 in San Francisco, California.