Adolphus Busch Orthwein, also known as Dolph Orthwein, (September 2, 1917 - November 25, 2013) was an American heir and business executive.

Biography

Adolphus Busch Orthwein was born on September 2, 1917, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

. His father was

Percy Orthwein Percy Orthwein (November 27, 1888 – July 2, 1957) was an American heir and business executive in advertising from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Orthwein was born on November 27, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri to William D. Orthwein, a Ger ...

and his mother, Clara Busch. His maternal great-grandfather,

Adolphus Busch Adolphus Busch (10 July 1839 – 10 October 1913) was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early ...

, was the founder of

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

. He grew up at

Grant's Farm Grant's Farm is a historic farm, and long-standing landmark in Grantwood Village, Missouri, built by Ulysses S. Grant on land given to him and his wife by his father in law Frederick Fayette Dent shortly after they became married in 1848. I ...

Grantwood Village, Missouri Grantwood Village is a town in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 863 at the 2010 census. Geography Grantwood Village is located at (38.555119, -90.349006). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village h ...

and summered at Red River Farm in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the ...

. Orthwein was kidnapped by Charles Abernathy, an unemployed realtor, "a lone negro with a revolver" according to the ''New York Times'', on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...

in 1930, when he was thirteen years old. His abductor's father, Pearl Abernathy, returned Orthwein to his family on New Year's Day. Orthwein graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1940. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served as an intelligence officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, tracking German submarines in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. He served in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

in St. Louis and retired as Lieutenant Commander. Orthwein joined the family business,

. He served as vice president of operations until the late 1950s. Additionally, he served on its board of directors until 1963. He considered running the company as a birthright. In the 1960s, Orthwein acquired Starbeam Supply Co., later known as Starbeam Supply Company. The company, headquartered in

Olivette, Missouri Olivette is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,504 at the 2020 census. History Olivette was settled in the mid-19th century as a small farming community along an old Indi ...

, sells lighting for large industrial spaces. Orthwein died of

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enl ...

on November 25, 2013, in

Huntleigh, Missouri Huntleigh is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 334 at the 2010 census. History The community, most of which encompasses what was the original 1700s farm of Stephen Maddox, is residential, with no commercial ...

. He was ninety-six years old. His funeral was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in

Ladue, Missouri Ladue is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,989. Ladue has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with a population over 1,000. G ...

. Another ceremony was held in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intraco ...

. He was buried at Sunset Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Affton, Missouri, where his father was buried too.

Polo and hunting

Orthwein was a three-goal polo player. He played polo until he was eighty-one. He was inducted into the Missouri Horseman's Hall of Fame. Orthwein was the

Master of the Hounds Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

of the Bridlespur Hunt, a

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of h ...

club in Huntleigh, Missouri. He was also a

duck hunter Waterfowl hunting (also called wildfowling or waterfowl shooting in the UK) is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport. Many types of ducks and geese share the same habitat, have overlapping or identical hunt ...

Personal life

Orthwein was married twice. His first wife, whom he married in 1941, was Ann "Nancy" Thornley. They had four sons together (Adolphus Busch Orthwein Jr.,

Stephen A. Orthwein Stephen A. Orthwein (October 28, 1945 – March 11, 2018) was an American heir and polo player. Early life He is a great-great-grandson of Adolphus Busch, founder of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. He received the association's Hugo Dalma ...

Peter Busch Orthwein Peter Busch Orthwein (born October 28, 1945) is an American heir, businessman and polo player. He is the co-founder and chairman of Thor Industries (). Early life His father was Adolphus Busch Orthwein and his mother, Ann Thornley Metcalfe. His ...

, and David Thornley Orthwein) before they divorced. She subsequently married David Metcalfe. Orthwein was married to his second wife, tennis player

Nancy Morrison Nancy Morrison Orthwein (June 21, 1927 – August 8, 2015) was an American tennis player. Morrison, raised in Palm Beach, Florida, was the granddaughter of William Harley DaCamara, who was founder and president of Palm Beach Mercantile Company. S ...

, for fifty-one years. They had one son, Christopher DaCamara Orthwein. They resided in

and summered at their family estate in Cooperstown, New York. Orthwein was a member of the

St. Louis Country Club St. Louis Country Club (SLCC) is a country club located in Ladue, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It is recognized by the United States Golf Association (USGA) as one of the first 100 Clubs in America. Club history Founded in 1892 as a polo cl ...

and the Log Cabin Club, two private members' clubs in St. Louis, Missouri. He was also a member of the

Bath and Tennis Club Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities ...

and the Cooperstown Country Club in Cooperstown, New York. He was a former member of the

Everglades Club The Everglades Club is a social club in Palm Beach, Florida. When its construction began in July 1918, it was to be called the ''Touchstone Convalescent Club'', and it was intended to be a hospital for the wounded of World War I. But the war ended ...

. He enjoyed playing tennis, chess and poker. He carried a pistol for safety.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orthwein, Adolphus Busch 1917 births 2013 deaths American corporate directors American hunters American people of German descent American polo players Busch family Businesspeople from Missouri Businesspeople from St. Louis Deaths from lymphoma Formerly missing people Kidnapped American children Missing person cases in Missouri Masters of foxhounds in the United States United States Navy personnel of World War II Yale University alumni Orthwein business family

Biography

Polo and hunting

Personal life

See also

References