Busch Family Tree and Heirs To The Billion Dollars Net Worth
Busch Family tree originated from the businessman Adolphus Busch in 1839. Adolphus is also the co founder of the brewing company Anheuser-Busch.
The last member of the Busch family to control the company is August Busch IV. He was the CEO of Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC until he signed off the deal to sell the company to InBev in 2008.
He is the last CEO and president of the Busch family in Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC.
Busch IV's sale of the company ended its 156 years of family-run which had started after Adolphus co-founded the company with his father-in-law in 1869. He served as the secretary of the company and expanded throughout America by using refrigerated railroad carts and bottled beer.
Adolphus was born to his parents Ulrich Busch and Barbara Pfeiffer in present-day Germany. He was born as the second last child among his parents' 22 children. His father Ulrich was involved in wholesale business selling supplies for winery and brewery.
As he had a lot of brothers and sisters in his family, Adolphus knew he would only inherit a small portion of his parent's wealth and had to make his own empire. At the age of 18 years old in 1857, Adolphus migrated to St. Louis with his three elder brothers.
He started the company with his father-in-law after seeing the great demand for beer among the German immigrants in the area, the company would later become one of the largest and most valuable in the world.
Adolphus Busch Was The First Generation To Brew Beer
Busch Family Tree starts with Adolphus and continues with his descendants. Adolphus was the first generation of Busch to enter America and brew beer.
Although Adolphus was already an heir to his family's wealth back in Germany, he wanted to build an empire of his own.
He was born on July 10, 1839, as the 21st among 22 Bush children and migrated to the United States of America and settled in St. Louis with his three older brothers in 1857, starting the legendary Busch empire.
He was the last of the 21 biological children of Ulrich Busch, Sr. with his two wives Catharina Ankermuller and Barbara Pfeiffer. He shared seven children with his first wife and the remaining 14 with his second wife, according to Ancestry.
Adolphus' siblings are:
- Kasper Busch (b 1806)
- Mathias Busch (b 1806)
- Georg Busch (b 1808)
- Balthasar Busch (b 1810)
- Catharina Busch (b 1812)
- Balthasar Busch (b 1813)
- Barbara Busch (b 1815)
- Catharina Busch (b 1816)
- Henry Busch (b 1817)
- Margaretha Busch (b 1820)
- Gertrude Busch (b 1821)
- Anna Catharina Busch (b 1823)
- Appolonia Busch (b 1824)
- Anna Maria Busch (b 1826)
- Ernestina Busch (b 1828)
- George Busch (b 1829)
- John Busch (b 1832)
- Ulrich Busch, Jr. (b 1833)
- Joseph Busch (b 1835; d 1895)
- Anton Baptist Busch (b 1836; d 1904)
- Adolphus "Prince" Busch, Sr. (b 1839; d 1928)
- Gustava Kluhn (adopted son; also known as von Kliehr)
Adolphus got married to Elise "Lilly" Eberhard Anheuser, the third daughter of Anheuser-Busch co-founder Eberhard Anheuser on March 7, 1861. The pair had 13 children of their own.
Adolphus Busch Had 13 Children With His Wife Lilly
Adolphus Busch children August Anheuser Busch Sr. and Adolphus Busch Jr. are the most notable among others. August was his third child and Busch Jr. was his fourth child.
August Anheuser was a notable Busch Family heir among others because he carried the family business forward after his father Adolphus passed away. He held the helm of the family business Anheuser-Busch in 1913 as the president of the company.
He led the family business through the most difficult time as he dealt with World War I, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. Given the family's ties with Germany, August also had to deal with anti-German moments and product boycotts.
According to his Wikipedia profile, August managed to keep the company afloat by introducing diversified and unregulated products. The company produced commercial refrigerators, baker's yeast, corn products, ice creams, and cold drinks during that time. Most of these products were discontinued after the probation ended in 1933.
August's younger sibling Adolphus Busch Jr. was notable due to his name, he carried his father's name and was the fourth child among the 13 siblings. Adolphus Jr. passed away at the age of 30 years old in 1898, preceding his father in death. Below is the list of all of Adolphus Busch and Lilly's 13 children.
| Name | Birth Year | Death Year | Age |
| Nellie Busch | 1863 | 1934 | 71 |
| Edward Busch | 1864 | 1879 | 15 |
| August Anheuser Busch Sr. | 1865 | 1934 | 69 |
| Adolphus Busch, Jr. | 1868 | 1898 | 30 |
| Alexis Busch | 1869 | 1869 | - |
| Edmee Busch | 1871 | 1955 | 84 |
| Emilee Busch | 1870 | 1870 | - |
| Peter Busch | 1872 | 1905 | 33 |
| Martha Busch | 1873 | 1873 | - |
| Anna "Tolie" Louise Busch | 1875 | 1936 | 61 |
| Clara Busch | 1876 | 1959 | 83 |
| Carl Busch | 1882 | 1915 | 33 |
| Wilhelmina "Minnie" Busch | 1884 | 1952 | 68 |
Among the pair's 13 children, only August Anheuser Busch Sr. carried on with the family tradition and worked for the family business. He later got married to Alice Ziesemann and had 5 children.
August Anheuser Busch Sr Was The Second Generation Brewer
August Anheuser Busch Sr carried on with the business and became a second-generation brewer. He led the company through several crises.
As we mentioned earlier, August led Anheuser-Busch through World War I, Prohibition, Anti-German Moment, and the Great Depression. He kept the company afloat by diversifying the products to agricultural and non-regulated.
Despite being one of the most important people in the history of Anheuser-Busch and a key person to save the company, August's life was not as fortunate. He was severely ill during his last few months as he suffered from heart disease, dropsy, and gout.
According to his Wikipedia profile, August took his own life with a shotgun shot to his belly. He wrote a note saying goodbye to his wife and children before committing the act on February 10, 1934, at Busch Mansion on Grant's Farm.
However, before his death, August was married to his beautiful wife Alice Ziesemann on May 8, 1890. The pair shared five children together, out of them two joined the family business later. His eldest son Adolphus Busch III became the president of the company in 1934 following August's death.
Here is a list of all the children shared by August Anheuser Busch Sr and his wife Alice Ziesemann with their birth year, death year, and their age at the time of their death.
| Name | Birth | Death | Age |
| Adolphus Busch III | February 10, 1891 | August 29, 1946 | 55 |
| Marie Busch | 1892 | 1963 | 71 |
| Clara Busch | 1895 | 1957 | 62 |
| August "Gussie" Busch, Jr. | March 28, 1899 | September 29, 1989 | 90 |
| Alice "Pummie" Busch | 1904 | 1995 | 91 |
Out of August Anheuser Busch Sr and Alice Ziesemann's five children, only two cared to join the Busch Family estate and company. Adolphus Busch III held the helm of the company for 12 years and August "Gussie" Busch, Jr. made Anheuser-Busch the largest brewery in the world in 1957.
Third Generation Of Busch Family Made The Brewery Largest In The World
Busch Family members Adolphus Busch III and Gussie Busch were third-generation brewers. Gussie made Anheuser-Busch world largest brewery in 1957.
Adolphus Busch III
After August Anheuser Busch Sr. passed away in 1934, Adolphus Busch III held the helm of his grandfather's company as the president. He served the company for 12 years between 1934 to 1946, until his death.
Although Adolphus III managed to keep the company afloat and running during his tenure of 12 years, he did not make any significant improvement in the company's position or production during his time.
Busch III was married to his first wife Florence McRhea Lambert on June 21, 1913, and shared a daughter named Marie Eleanor Busch who was born on May 1914. He married his second wife Sallie Marie Busch in September 1930 and shared another daughter Sallie Marie Busch.
Adolphus III passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage on August 29, 1946, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.
Gussie Busch
Gussie Busch was born August Anheuser "Gussie" Busch Jr. on March 28, 1899.
He joined Anheuser-Busch in 1924 in brewing operations. He learned about the company and headed the brewing division in 1934 after his father's death. He later succeeded his elder sibling Adolphus Busch III as the CEO and President of the company after his death in 1946.
Until Gussie took over the company, Anheuser-Busch was just a single brewery operating in St. Louis, Missouri. However, during his time, Gussie expanded the company and its production to 9 facilities nationwide.
After the probation ended in 1933, Gussie made Clydesdale horse-and-wagon team to haul a case of the first Budweiser beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House to celebrate the occasion.
Anheuser-Busch surpassed Pabst Brewing Company and Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in 1957 and was the world's largest brewery. By the end of 1973, the company was producing over 26 million barrels of beer in the United States of America.
Apart from Anheuser-Busch's beer business, Gussie also bought the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953 for $3.75 million. He remained the president of the Cardinals until his death.
However, Gussie Busch was forced to step down from his position as CEO and President of the company in May 1975 during a Boardroom coup led by his son August Busch III.
August Busch Jr. was married four times and fathered 12 children. Below is a list of all of August Busch Jr.'s spouses, according to Ancestry.
| Name of Spouse | Birth | Marriage | Death | Age | Children |
| Marie Christy Church | 1896 | 1918 | 1930 | 34 | 2 |
| Elizabeth Overton Dozier | 1894 | 1948 | 1958 | 64 | 3 |
| Gertrude "Trudy" Buholzer | February 17, 1927 | March 23, 1952 | 2016 | 89 | 7 |
| Margaret Snyder | 1916 | 1981 | August 4, 1988 | 72 | 0 |
August Busch Jr aka Gussie Busch passed away on September 29, 1989, in St. Louis due to pneumonia. He was 90 years old.
August Busch III Succeeded As The Forth Generation Of The Family
August Busch III succeeded Gussie Busch as the fourth generation of Busch Family members to work for Anheuser-Busch. He served as CEO and President from 1975 to 2006.
August III was only one among his 12 siblings to take the leadership position at Anheuser-Busch. He was born as a fourth child and the first son of Gussie whom he shared with his second wife Elizabeth Overton Dozier.
His siblings include Lilly Marie Busch, Carlota "Lotsie" Busch, Elizabeth Busch, Adolphus Busch - IV, Beatrice Busch, Peter Busch, Gertrude Busch, William "Billy" Busch, Andrew Busch, and Christina "Honey Bee" Busch.
August III started his career in an entry-level position at Anheuser-Busch after dropping out of the University of Arizona, according to his Wikipedia profile. He assumed his role as the President of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. in 1974 and started serving as CEO the following year.
He continued working as the President and CEO of the company until June 2002. He remained the chairman of the Board of Directors of Anheuser-Busch from 1977 to 2006. He was also the first person in the history of the firm to be succeeded by someone outside the Busch family.
Apart from Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. August III also worked as director for AT&T Inc, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, and CEO of SBC/AT&T, among several others.
He married his first wife Susan Hornebrook in May 1963. The pair welcomed two children, a son August "Augie" A. Busch - IV and a daughter Susan Busch-Transou together. According to his Wikipedia profile, He married his second wife Virginia and shares two more children Steven Busch and Virginia "Ginny" Busch.
The Fifth Generation Let The Company Off Their Hands
Busch Family heirs August Busch IV and his siblings let the company slip off their hands. InBev bought out the company at $70 per share on July 13, 2008.
August Busch IV, the eldest of August Busch III's four children, was the CEO and President of the company from December 2006. All of his siblings were involved in the family business in varying capacities and positions.
Busch IV started his career in the family business as a brewing apprentice at Old Malt House. He also worked as an intern in the yeast culture center and later as a foreman in packaging and shipping. He made his first leap in 1989 when he moved to the marketing department.
He was named the vice president of brand management six years later in 1994 and vice president of marketing two years later in 1996. He became vice president of marketing and wholesale operations in 2000.
However, Busch was passed out as the CEO and President of the company by Patrick Stokes as the first non-family member CEO and President after the BOD voted in his favor. Busch IV was able to take his ill-fated role as CEO and President in 2006, just 18 months before the hostile takeover.
If you are wondering who owns Busch beer now then, it is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The former company Anheuser-Busch now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of InBev in North America and has undergone some major corporate restructuring.
August Busch IV was married to Kathryn "Kate" Thatcher for two years between August 2006 and November 2008. According to his Wikipedia profile, the pair does not have any children, August IV has also not fathered any other known children effectively ending the Busch Family Tree from his side as of 2023.
Busch Family Net Worth Is $17.6 Billion
Busch Family net worth is valued at $17.6 billion. Busch Family is one of the richest families in the United States of America.
According to Forbes, with a valuation of $17.6 billion, the Busch family is ranked 16th on the list of wealthiest families in the United States of America. The family is just under 2.3 billion short of the combined wealth of the top 5 richest African American families in the United States of America.
Their fortune foundation was set by Adolphus Busch after founding the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in 1869. Busch beer history dates back to the establishment of the company in 1869, Adolphus brew the first batch of Budweiser beer in 1876.
Busch family fortune has seen a steady climb since 2014. The family was valued at $13 billion in 2014, $13.5 billion in 2015, $13.4 billion in 2016, and $17.6 billion in 2020, according to Forbes.
