was born in St. Louis, on this date in 1899. According to the Library of Congress:
Scion of the famous brewing family, Busch served as Chairman of the Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. from 1946-1975. During his tenure, the company his grandfather established emerged as the largest brewery in the world.
Busch’s grandfather Adolphus Busch came to America from Germany in 1857, settling in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1866, he founded the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. Busch discovered a way to pasteurize beer, allowing national distribution of his product. By 1901, Anheuser-Busch’s brewery was the nation’s largest. Busch also developed a beer lighter than those commonly sold at the time. This beer, named Budweiser, ultimately became the world’s best seller.
In February 1953, August Anheuser Busch, Jr. rescued a St. Louis tradition by purchasing the St. Louis Cardinals. Busch’s decision was a relief to local baseball fans threatened with the prospect of seeing their team move to Milwaukee or Houston. He became a familiar figure at Cardinal games, entering the Busch Memorial Stadium behind a team of the brewing company’s famous Clydesdale horses.