Busch page 6

Busch page 6 by ric gustafson


August ' Gussie' Busch Jr  married Marie Christy Church on April 27 1918. Gussie was nineteen and Marie was twenty two. By the time Gussie was a teenager, he was a championship rider and carriage driver. He was brash, blunt and had a reputation for romancing women of all ages. The Busch Church wedding took place at Marie's mother's home and was attended by St Louis upper crust society.
Gussie was nicknamed the Alpha Busch and it stuck. The marriage produced two daughters, Lilly in 1923 and Carlota in 1927. Tragedy struck in January 1930 when Marie contracted pneumonia and died. Gussie married Elizabeth Overton Dozier in 1933 and she had three children from her previous marriage. Their marriage was rocky as she had a dependence on alcohol and prescription drugs.
The brewery continued with it's many problems with Gussie as it's vice president. The Federal Alcohol Control Administration established codes for fair competition which affected the relationship they had with their distributors. The brewery now had to put together a network of wholesalers around the country and give them a commission. Congress also raised the federal excise tax from two dollars a barrel to five dollars a barrel. The brewery was still number one in beer sales selling more than a million barrels in 1934 and 1935. The brewery was still operating in the red and it's two competitors, Pabst and Schlitz were closing in fast.


research help: ' Bitter Brew' by William Knoedelseder


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric