August Anheuser Busch, Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1899. Heir to the Anheuser Busch brewing family, Gussie, as he was known, didn’t finish high school. He learned the beer brewing business from his father and grandfather. Gussie was both a consummate salesman and a showman. It was his idea to use a team of Clydesdale horses pulling a beer wagon for marketing Budweiser beer, Anheuser-Busch’s flagship product.
Gussie served in the army during World War II and then returned to lead Anheuser-Busch beer production to new heights. By the time of his retirement in 1974, the company was the world’s largest brewer, producing 35 million barrels annually.
Gussie also expanded the Anheuser-Busch empire in other directions. He opened three Busch Gardens amusement parks, which offered free beer with the price of admission. And he purchased the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.
See the Jacqueline Thompson papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.