August Anheuser Busch Sr. (December 29, 1865 – February 10, 1934) was an American brewing magnate who served as the President and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

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 glo ...

, based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1913 to 1934. It became the world's largest brewery in 1957 under direction of his son August A. "Gussie" Busch Jr.Holian, Timothy J. "Adolphus Busch"
In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present,'' vol. 3, edited by Giles R. Hoyt. German Historical Institute. Last modified August 9, 2013

Early life

August Anheuser Busch was born on December 29, 1865, in

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

. His father,

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 German-born founder of Anheuser-Busch. His mother, Lilly Eberhard Anheuser, was the third daughter of brewer

Eberhard Anheuser Eberhard Anheuser (27 September 1806–May 1880) was a German American soap and candle maker, as well as the father-in-law of Adolphus Busch, the founder of the Anheuser-Busch Company. Anheuser grew up in Kreuznach, where his parents operated ...

, who owned the Anheuser Brewery. He had eight brothers and five sisters.

Career

Busch became President of Anheuser-Busch in 1913, shortly after his father's death. Under his leadership, the company survived

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, and the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

by innovating and diversifying. The company delved into the production of corn products,

baker's yeast Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise (expand and become lighter and softer) by converting the fermentable ...

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

s, and commercial

refrigeration The term refrigeration refers to the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature.International Dictionary of Refrigeration, http://dictionary.iifiir.org/search.phpASHRAE Terminology, ht ...

units to stay afloat during Prohibition. After Prohibition ended in 1933, many of these operations were discontinued. August also managed to keep Anheuser-Busch prosperous during anti-German bias of World War I. He built the Bevo Mill, about halfway between his mansion on Gravois Road and the Anheuser-Busch brewery downtown.

Personal life

Busch married Alice Ziesemann on May 8, 1890. Their children were Adolphus III, Marie, Clara, August Jr., and Alice Busch. The Busches were among prominent families who participated in the

Veiled Prophet Ball The Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball was a yearly Festival, civic celebration in St. Louis, Missouri, over which a Characterization, mythical figure called the ''Veiled Prophet'' presided. The first events were in 1878. Overview The parade and ...

, and in 1922, Alice Busch was selected as that year's Queen of Love and Beauty.Spencer, Thomas M. ''The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration: Power on Parade, 1877–1995,'' U-MO Press, 2000 Both sons joined the family business. Eldest son Adolphus became president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch. After his death in 1946, August Jr. became CEO, building the company into the largest brewery in the world.

Death and legacy

In his later life, Busch suffered from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

, and

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

. After being severely ill for several months, he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at the age of 68 with a gunshot to the abdomen on February 10, 1934, at the Busch Mansion 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. It ...

.Todd C. Frankel, "For Busch family, woman's death is latest in tragic history"
''St. Louis Post-Dispatch,'' December 26, 2010, accessed July 1, 2015 Before shooting himself, August penned a brief note to his family saying, "Goodbye precious mommie and adorable children." The St. Louis County coroner's jury gathered at the Busch mansion and heard Busch's chauffeur testify to the events of August's suicide. A Dr. P.E. Rutledge of Kirkwood also testified that he had given Busch morphine seven hours before the suicide. The coroner's jury ruled August's death a suicide due to long illness. Thousands of people mourned August at the Busch mansion, including senators and brewers. Busch's lawyer, Daniel N. Kirby said during the service, "As worthy son of a noble father, he was as great a leader in saving the industry as his father had been in creating it." Although his parents are buried in a mausoleum at

Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the ...

, August wished to be buried at Sunset Burial Park, near

St. Louis 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, which e ...

. St. Louis police had to keep crowds away from August's grave. In 1947, his widow Alice Busch donated $70,000 to help with the purchase of the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area, as a memorial to her husband.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Busch, August Anheuser 1865 births 1934 deaths Businesspeople from St. Louis American drink industry businesspeople American racehorse owners and breeders Suicides by firearm in Missouri

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...