Busch page 5

Busch page 5 by ric gustafson


Adolphus III and Gussie promised their father August A to keep the company going during Prohibition. Over the span of thirteen years, the brewery survived by making different products. The company made rail cars, truck bodies, cabinets, ice cream, barley malt syrup and baker's yeast. The brewery lost $ 2.5 million in 1919, $ 1.6 million in 1920 and $ 1.3 million in 1921.
August A had to borrow $ 6.5 million from family and banks to keep the brewery going. Prohibition took a heavy toll in St Louis where 40,000 brewery jobs were lost. August A complained to both Presidents Harding and Coolidge about the enforcement of Prohibition. When Franklin Roosevelt became President in 1932, part of his platform was the total repeal of Prohibition. In February of 1933, Congress proposed the Twenty First Amendment which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment.
Out of 1300 breweries before Prohibition, only 164 survived. It had taken it's toll on August A because his health started to fail including heart disease, gout and edema. Distraught over his health and his company, he shot himself with a 32 caliber pistol and died. More than 10,000 people paid their respects at Grant's Farm. He was buried in a nearby cemetery overlooking his mansion.
His estate was worth $ 3.4 million including 23, 889 shares of Anheuser Busch stock.
Adolphus III became the brewery's president and Gussie general manager and vice president.


research help: ' Bitter Brew' by William Knoedelseder


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric