Adolph Coors II | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 12, 1884 Golden, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | June 28, 1970 (aged 86) Golden, Colorado, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Spouse(s) | Alice May Kistler (m.1912–1970; his death) |
| Children | 4, including Adolph III, William, Joseph |
| Parent(s) |
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Adolph Herman Joseph Coors Jr. (January 12, 1884 – June 28, 1970) was an American businessman. He was the son of Louisa (Webber) and brewer Adolph Coors, and the second President of Coors Brewing Company.[1][2]
Life and career
Coors was a graduate of Cornell University, where he was a member of the Sphinx Head Society and the Kappa Alpha Society. He became an accomplished chemist who worked in prominent positions in the family's brewing and porcelain operations. He married Alice May Kistler (1885–1970) of Denver[3] on May 4, 1912, at the Kistler home by Rev. Van Arsdall. The couple had four children: Adolph Coors III (1915–1960) who was kidnapped and killed in 1960; William K. Coors (1916–2018), Joseph Coors (1917–2003), and May Louise Coors (1923–2008).
Coors had his own brush with kidnapping in 1934. Paul Robert Lane, the former state Prohibition agent for Colorado, along with Clyde Culbertson, former investigator for the federal dry forces, along with two other men conspired to kidnap Adolph Jr. for a ransom of $50,000. The person delivering the money was to proceed to three different checkpoints to ensure no officers were tailing him and then split the money; Coors would be released somewhere around Colorado Springs. Denver police learned of the plot while working on an auto theft ring and Adolph Jr. volunteered to be kidnapped so the police could arrest the suspects. However, Lane was arrested on an auto theft charge and the conspiracy was foiled in advance.
Adolph Coors Jr. died in 1970 at the age of 86 years old.
References
- ^ Baum, Dan (2000). Citizen Coors: An American Dynasty. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-7567-5811-4.
- ^ Ivry, Sara (April 23, 2000). "Citizen Coors". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
Adolph Coors Jr., the son of the brewery's founder, cut ties with one branch of his grandchildren whose father, Adolph's son, was murdered. Another son, Bill, proceeded with plans to give a party the day he learned of his daughter's suicide. Joe, Bill's brother, sometimes called the Daddy Warbucks of the Republican Party, supported Ronald Reagan, the Heritage Foundation and various conservative initiatives, like aid to the Contras.
- ^ "Mrs. Adolph Coors Jr". The New York Times. November 12, 1970.
Denver, November 11, 1970 (United Press International) Mrs. Adolph Coors Jr. died here last night of a heart attack. She was 85 years old.
External links
- Jett, Philip. The Death of an Heir: Adolph Coors III and the Murder That Rocked an American Brewing Dynasty New York: St. Martin's Press, 2017. ISBN 978-1250111807