Today is the birthday of Ellis Wainwright (August 3, 1850-November 6, 1924). He was born in Godfrey, Illinois, but grew up in nearby St. Louis, where his father Samuel Wainwright founded the Wainwright Brewery with his brother, also named Ellis. Wikipedia describes him as “an American capitalist, brewer, art collector and socialite from St. Louis, Missouri. He was President of the St. Louis Brewing Company and Director of the St. Louis and Suburban Company.”

Although he did run the Wainwright brewery, among other pursuits, he’s “best known for the Wainwright Building in downtown St. Louis, which was one of the first skyscrapers in the world and one of the most important office buildings of the period.”

St. Louis Magazine had an article about that family entitled “Who were the Wainwrights, the preeminent brewers who broke the Teutonic monopoly on beer in St. Louis?,” and there’s some additional information at Tavern Trove.