You’ve probably held a Budweiser. Most people have. But behind that label is a family saga that makes Succession look like a polite Sunday brunch. Honestly, the Anheuser Busch family tree isn't just a list of names; it’s a blueprint of how to build—and eventually lose—one of the most dominant empires in American history.
It started with soap. Really.
Eberhard Anheuser was a German immigrant who made a killing in the soap and candle business in St. Louis. He didn’t actually know much about beer. In 1860, he took over a failing brewery called the Bavarian Brewery because the owners owed him money. He renamed it E. Anheuser & Co.
Then came Adolphus.
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Adolphus Busch was a powerhouse. He was the second youngest of 22 children. Think about that for a second. Twenty-two siblings. He arrived in St. Louis in 1857, started a brewery supply business, and met Eberhard’s daughter, Lilly. They married in 1861. That wedding was the spark. Adolphus eventually bought out Eberhard’s partner and, in 1879, the company became the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association.
The Pillars of the Busch Dynasty
The lineage of the Busch family is often simplified into a neat "August I, II, III, IV" line, but it’s messier than that.
Adolphus and Lilly had 13 children. Not all survived, but the ones who did were spread across the globe. One daughter, Clara, married a German Baron and lived in Berlin as a high-society trendsetter. Another, Wilhelmina, built a literal castle in Bavaria.
August A. Busch Sr. (The First)
He took the reins after Adolphus died in 1913. He's the guy who had to navigate Prohibition. While other breweries folded, he pivoted. They made ginger ale, ice cream, and even truck bodies. He famously sent a team of Clydesdales to the White House in 1933 to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. But the pressure was immense. In 1934, struggling with failing health and the weight of the company, he ended his own life at the family estate, Grant’s Farm.
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August "Gussie" Busch Jr. (The Showman)
Gussie is the one most St. Louisans remember. He bought the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953. He was a flamboyant, larger-than-life character who married four times and had 11 children. Under his watch, Anheuser-Busch became the largest brewer in the world by 1957. He was a master of marketing, but his personal life was a whirlwind of Swiss heiresses and public feuds.
The Friction in the Modern Anheuser Busch Family Tree
The transition from Gussie to his son, August Busch III, was brutal. It wasn't a "pass the torch" moment. It was a palace coup. In 1975, "The Third" (as he was known) ousted his own father in a boardroom showdown.
August III was the opposite of Gussie. He was disciplined, cold, and laser-focused on the bottom line. He grew the company to a nearly 50% market share in the U.S. He was a titan. But the relationship with his own son, August Busch IV, was notoriously strained.
What happened to the family control?
Everything changed in 2008.
The Belgian-Brazilian company InBev launched a hostile takeover. At the time, August Busch IV was the CEO. He fought it. He wanted to keep the legacy alive. But in a move that still shocks historians, his father, August III, reportedly supported the sale behind the scenes.
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The company sold for $52 billion.
Just like that, the Anheuser Busch family tree was severed from the brewery that bore its name. The "King of Beers" was no longer American-owned. Today, the company is AB InBev, a global behemoth headquartered in Belgium.
Where is the family now?
The Busches didn't just disappear. They're still around, though they’re mostly doing their own thing.
- Billy Busch: He’s been the most vocal about the "fall" of the dynasty. He wrote a book called Family Reins and even had a short-lived reality show. He tried to buy Grant’s Farm back from his siblings to keep it under his own wing, but it didn't go as planned.
- The Grant’s Farm Five: In 2021, five members of the family (including Andrew, Peter, and Trudy Busch Valentine) officially took over operations of Grant’s Farm to keep it as a public landmark.
- Trudy Busch Valentine: She recently stepped into the political arena, running for the U.S. Senate in Missouri in 2022.
- August Busch IV: After the 2008 sale, his life has been marked by personal struggles and legal issues. He mostly stays out of the public eye now.
Realities of the Legacy
It’s easy to look at the massive wealth and the Clydesdales and think it was all glamour. But the history is heavy. There were tragic accidents—most notably the 1983 car crash involving August IV and the 2010 overdose death of his girlfriend at his home.
The family is a study in what happens when a business is the family. When the business is sold, the identity of the family shifts.
The current state of AB InBev in 2026 shows a company still dominating the global market, recently buying back a $3 billion stake in its U.S. metal packaging plants. But for the Busch descendants, they are now investors and philanthropists rather than brewers.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs and Business Observers
If you're looking to understand the real weight of the Anheuser Busch family tree, don't just look at the stock price of BUD.
- Visit Grant's Farm: It’s still the best way to see the scale of their former life. You can see the "Big House" and the Clydesdales.
- Read the Court Documents: If you want the unvarnished truth about the 2008 takeover, the SEC filings and the subsequent lawsuits from shareholders tell a much grittier story than the PR releases.
- Support Local Heritage: The Missouri Historical Society has extensive archives on the family’s impact on St. Louis that goes far beyond beer, including their massive contributions to the 1904 World's Fair.
The Busch story isn't over, it's just different. They aren't running the taps anymore, but their name is still on the gate.
Explore the Missouri Historical Society's digital archives to see original correspondence between Adolphus and Eberhard—it's the best way to see the business mind behind the legend.