Today is the birthday of Lorenz Lampel (May 2, 1831-March 26, 1888. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, where he was trained as a brewer. In 1853, he emigrated to the U.S. and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked for several local breweries. Eventually, in 1870, he became a partner in the Samuel Wainwright & Company brewing firm and helped manage the business for another 15 years. He was also later elected president of the United States Brewers Association in 1891.
Here’s a short biography from Find-a-Grave:
Brewery Businessman. Born in Bavaria, Lorenz served an apprenticeship in the brewer’s trade before immigrating to the U.S. in 1853. He came to St. Louis in 1855, where he was employed as brew master and foreman by prominent beer manufacturers of St. Louis such as Lemp, Waggoner, Fritz & Wainwright, Anheuser-Busch. In 1870, he became a partner in the Samuel Wainwright & Company brewing firm and was actively connected with the management of that business for another 15 years. He was elected president of the United States Brewers Association at its 31st annual convention in 1891. [Note: that 1891 date must be wrong since he passed aay in 1888, three years before.
[Charles A.] Fritz lasted until 1870, when two new partners joined: Lorenz Lampel and Robert Jacob, and the brewery changing to Wainwright & Co. Contrary to what is often the case for many of these anonymous partners, Lampel is well-documented in St. Louis history. Born on May 2, 1831, in Bavaria, he was trained as a brewer, coming to America in 1853 and then to St. Louis in 1855. He even worked for Anheuser-Busch as a foreman and brewmaster in addition to the Wainwright Brewery and was not just an owner and investor. Lampel was involved in the Wainwright Brewery for 15 years, dying in 1886 after an extensive visit to Germany.
