Busch page 8

Busch page 8 by ric gustafson


After six years being seperated from his wife Elizabeth, Gussie filed for divorce on August 7 1951. Busch vs Busch played out in the courts with both sides claiming the main issues were drinking and philandering. A few weeks later, Elizabeth accepted a million dollar divorce settlement which was the first in Missouri's history. She received $ 450,000 in alimony, $480,000 in property settlement, a house worth $100,000 and the custody of the couple's two children Elizabeth and August III.
August III was only five when the divorce finalized and his young life suffered. He became a moody withdrawn student with few friends and a spotty school record.
On March 22 1952 the day his divorce was final, Gussie married Gertrude Buholzer who's nickname was Trudy. The ceremony was low key and the couple went to Florida for a two week vacation. In Feburary 1953, Gussie was approached  by some local businessmen about a possible purchase. The owner of the St Louis Cardinals, Fred Saigh was in talks to move the team to Milwaukee. Gussie enjoyed sports except baseball. The Cardinals at that time were one of the most successful teams in the major leagues having won nine National League pennants and six World Series titles in twenty seven years. Gussie paid Saigh $2.5 million for the team and $1.25 million to pay off the team's debts. Partly because of owning the Cardinals, in 1954 the brewery was producing 6.7 million barrels which was 1.5 million more than Schlitz and turning Gussie Busch into a St Louis celebrity.


research help: ' Bitter Brew' by William Knoedelseder


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric