NATION : Beer Baron August Busch Jr. Dies

August A. Busch Jr., last of the old-time beer barons and president of the St. Louis Cardinals, died today at his home. He was 90.

Busch, born March 28, 1899, was a philanthropist, a civic leader, a breeder of Clydesdale horses and the president and chief executive officer of the National Baseball League’s Cardinals.

But he was best known as the man who took over the controls of a relatively small and ailing brewing firm in 1946 and turned it into the largest in the world by the time he retired from active duty with Anheuser-Busch Inc. in May, 1975. He remained honorary chairman.

When he stepped down as chief executive officer, Busch said he had been blessed with “three love affairs” in his life.

“First, there has been my family; second, the company, and third, this great community of St. Louis,” he said.

Under his direction, the brewery grew from producing 3 million barrels of beer a year to a record 37 million barrels at the time of his retirement. Last year, it produced 78.5 million barrels, 38 million more than its nearest competitor.