Gottlieb Storz
| Gottlieb Storz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1852 Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany |
| Died | 1939 Omaha, Nebraska |
| Nationality | German-American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of Storz Brewery |
Gottlieb Storz (1852–1939) was a pioneer entrepreneur in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Storz was the founder of the Storz Brewery. He was an important member of Omaha's German immigrant community, and an important businessman in Omaha history. Storz was regarded as a "giant in the brewing world".
After immigrating to the United States in 1870 from Germany, in 1876 Storz moved to Omaha and became the foreman of a brewery founded in 1863. Storz learned brewing in Wurttemberg and had several years experience in New York and at the William Lemp Brewing Company in St. Louis. After arriving in Omaha, Storz worked at Joseph Baumann's brewery. In 1876, Bauman died. Storz was renamed the foreman under Baumann's widow, then rented the brewery from her to run it himself.
In 1891 Storz founded the Omaha Brewing Association, with himself as president. After purchasing the company, in 1892 Storz built a state-of-the-art facility at 1819 North 16th Street in North Omaha, located at the intersection of Sherman Avenue (North 16th Street) and Clark Street.
Storz also owned many saloons, also called "tied houses", and ran one next to his plant. In response to pressure from the Prohibition Movement, in 1907 the Nebraska Legislature passed the Gibson Law which made it illegal for breweries to own saloons. In response, Storz transferred his saloons to the Independent Realty Company. While this appeared to meet the letter of the law, in 1914 the Nebraska Supreme Court revoked an Independent Realty Company saloon's liquor license, finding that the grounds were still controlled by Storz Brewery. Additionally, they also found that the company's president was Storz's wife, Minnie; the vice-president was Maggie Buck, who was also the Storz brewer and Minnie's cousin, and; the secretary/treasurer had also previously worked for the brewery.
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