Adolphus Busch Died A Century Ago

St. Louis has a long history of brewing beer and one of the most influential, Adolphus Busch, died 100 years ago today.

In 1906 Adolphus Busch caught a cold that turned into pneumonia.  After this, he grew increasingly weaker until his death from a heart attack on October 10, 1913. (Historic Missourians)

The story of how this immigrant became a historic figure in St. Louis & Missouri is interesting to me:

Eberhard Anheuser, who left Germany in 1843, settling first in Cincinnati and before moving to St. Louis. Trained as a soap manufacturer, he eventually went on to own the largest soap and candle company in St. Louis. Although he had no brewing experience, he became part owner of the Bavarian Brewery, which had first opened its doors in 1852. By 1860, Anheuser had bought out the other investors and the brewery’s name was changed to E. Anheuser & Co.

Adolphus Busch was born in 1839, the second youngest of 22 children. At age 18, he made his way to St. Louis via New Orleans and the Mississippi River. Adolphus began working as a clerk on the riverfront and by the time he was 21, he had a partnership in a brewing supply business.

It was through this enterprise that Aldolphus Busch met Eberhard Anheuser, and soon Adolphus was introduced to Eberhard’s daughter, Lilly. In 1861, Adolphus Busch and Lilly Anheuser were married, and shortly after that, Adolphus went to work for his father-in-law. He later purchased half ownership in the brewery, becoming a partner.

At that time, most beer in the United States was sold in the community in which it was brewed. Adolphus was determined to create a brand that would transcend the tradition of local brews and appeal to the tastes of many different people. In 1876, he and his friend, Carl Conrad, created an American-style lager beer that succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. Adolphus coined the label “Budweiser”, a name that would appeal to German immigrants like himself, yet could be easily pronounced by Americans. Budweiser was a success and eventually, became the company’s flagship brand. (Source – age verification required)

Youngest of 22 kids! Busch was 21 when he married 17 year-old Lilly Anheuser in 1861.

The Busches often traveled to Germany where they had a mansion, the Villa Lilly, which was named for Mrs Busch, in Lindschied near Langenschwalbach, in present-day Bad Schwalbach.

He died there in Lindschied in 1913 while on vacation. He had been suffering from dropsy since 1906. His body was brought back in 1915 by ship to the United States and then a train to St. Louis and he was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. (Wikipedia)

Between 1863 and 1884, Adolphus and Lilly Busch had thirteen children—five boys and eight girls.  Three girls died in infancy, but the remaining five, Nellie, Edmee, Anna Louise, Clara, and Wilhelmina, all married either German or German-American men and lived into late adulthood.  Clara married Baron Paul von Gontard of the German empire, and became a famous trendsetter in the city of Berlin.  Anna’s husband, Edward Faust, and Nellie’s husband, Edward Magnus, eventually served as vice presidents in the brewery.  Of Busch’s five sons, one, Carl, was born with disabilities and required special care, while three others, Edward, Adolphus Jr., and Peter, died of appendix-related medical conditions by mid-adulthood.  Only August A. Busch lived past his mid-thirties.  He became second in command to Adolphus at the brewery, and eventually took over the brewery’s leadership after his father’s death. (Source)

Learn more at Bellefontaine’s 2nd Annual Beer Barons Tour on October 19th, purchase tickets here.

— Steve Patterson