August Anheuser Busch, Jr.
American brewer
Also known as: Gussie Busch
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- Born:
- March 28, 1899, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
- Died:
- September 29, 1989, near St. Louis
- Also Known As:
- Gussie Busch
August Anheuser Busch, Jr.was an American beer baron, president (1946â75) of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., who built the company into the worldâs largest brewery.
Anheuser-Busch brewery, St. Louis, Missouri.
Bev Sykes
In 1922 Busch was put to work sweeping floors and cleaning vats at the brewery cofounded by his grandfather Adolphus Busch, but by 1924 he was general superintendent of brewing operations. After his father died (1934), Busch became head of the brewery department, and he was installed as president of the company following his older brotherâs death (1946).
Busch was a civic leader who helped revive St. Louis in the 1950s by donating $5 million toward the construction of Busch Memorial Stadium and purchasing the St. Louis Cardinals professional baseball team for $7.8 million. A familiar figure during postseason play-off games, Busch often rode into the stadium in a wagon drawn by Clydesdales, the horses that were indelibly identified with the beer wagons of Budweiser, Anheuser-Buschâs main brand. Grantâs Farm, the Busch family estate near St. Louis, was converted into a 281-acre (114-hectare) historical site and wildlife preserve.
This article was most recently revised and updated by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
