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1839–1913
"My principle is that a man must love
his business in order to make a success of
it, and if he does not do this, he is not
worthy of it and is bound to go under." — Adolphus Busch
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Adolphus Busch, a visionary and leader in the
brewing industry, was born in Germany in 1839
as the second-youngest of 22 children. Busch
immigrated to the United States in 1857, arriving
in St. Louis. He worked initially as a riverfront
clerk and had his first taste of the beer industry in
the employ of a wholesale supply house. A
highly-educated man, he spent years studying the
art of brewing and learning brewing techniques
that he would introduce to the country.
In 1859, Busch and Ernst Wattenberg formed the
wholesaler commission house of Wattenberg,
Busch, and Co., which in 1865 became Adolphus
Busch & Co., one of the most successful wholesale
houses in St. Louis. Working in this business
afforded him the opportunity to meet many St.
Louis area brewers, including Eberhard Anheuser.
Busch married Eberhard's daughter, Lilly
Anheuser, in 1861. He enlisted in the Union army
shortly thereafter and later returned to his
wholesaler business. In 1864, his father-in-law
enticed him to join him in the management of his
brewery.
Busch increasingly took greater responsibility for
brewery operations; opening up new markets,
introducing new technical developments, and
modernizing business functions. He was the first
American brewer to introduce pasteurization in
the 1870s, a major development for the industry
that allowed beer to be bottled and shipped to
new markets and for home consumption. He
later introduced artificial refrigeration and
refrigerated rail cars, allowing the company to
develop a national system of beer distribution.
During this time, Busch envisioned brewing a
national beer. He worked with his friend Carl
Conrad, a St. Louis wine merchant and
restaurateur, to develop a beer that would be
acceptable to many tastes. This beer was
Budweiser, introduced in 1876. A light-colored
lager with a taste that would appeal to a broad
audience, Budweiser was brewed from only the
highest-quality ingredients and later became the
best-selling beer in the world.
The company was renamed Anheuser-Busch
Brewing Association and in 1880, Busch became
president of the brewery. Anheuser-Busch saw
rapid sales increases in the 1880s and 1890s,
emerging as an industry sales leader by the 1900s.
Busch continued as president of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association for 33 years until his
death in 1913. Busch and Lilly had 13 children;
their son August would later serve the role his
father had leading Anheuser-Busch, beginning a
legacy that today has spanned five generations.
Adolphus Busch died October 13, 1913.
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