Samuel Liebmann (November 12, 1799 – November 21, 1872) was a German-born American brewer and founder of S. Liebmann Brewery (later Rheingold Breweries) in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. Introduced after his death, the main brand ''Rheingold Extra Dry'' was one of the most popular beer brands in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in the 1940s to 1960s.

Biography

Samuel Liebmann was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in 1799 in the Aufhausen, a district of the municipality of Bopfingen, the son of Berta (née Fröhlich) and Joseph Liebmann. His father was a merchant and religious instructor. He had three brothers (Heinrich, David, and Leopold) and two sisters (Johanna, Sarah) and attended elementary school in Aufhausen. After the death of his father in 1832, Liebmann and his brother Heinrich left their hometown and bought the estate Schloss Schmiedelfeld which they operated with economic success. Liebmann moved to

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a Cities of Germany, city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg (district), Lu ...

in 1840. There he acquired the Gasthaus "Zum Stern" with attached

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

, which he also led successfully. He was a supporter of the revolutionary movement during the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

which led to the government banning royal soldiers, the majority of his clientele, from visiting his establishment. This combined with the failure of the revolution led to his immigration to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 1850, he sent his son Joseph Liebmann to America to build a home; in 1854, he officially immigrated with the rest of his family to

. He leased the Maasche Brewery on Meserole Street in Williamsburg,

which he renamed as the ''S. Liebmann Brewery.'' After the lease expired, he established a new brewery under the same name on the corner of Forest and Bremen Street in Bushwick. Three years after the death of his wife in 1865, he retired from active management of the brewery giving the management of the brewery to his sons.

Personal life

In June 1828, Liebmann married Sara Wasserman Selz. They had six children: * Bertha Liebmann Stein (born June 28, 1827), married Samuel Stein in 1859 * Rosa Liebmann Obermeyer (born July 28, 1829), married David Obermeyer in 1858, 7 children **Frederick Obermeyer (born 1859), died as a child **Theodore Obermeyer (born July 26, 1861), married Bertha Heller **Ernst Obermeyer (born December 20, 1863), married Henrietta Harris **Joseph Obermeyer (born May 20, 1865) **Edwin Obermeyer **Robert Obermeyer **Emmeline Obermeyer (born October 27, 1873), married to photographer

Alfred Stieglitz Alfred Stieglitz (; January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was k ...

* Joseph Liebmann (December 20, 1831 – March 26, 1913 in

) * Fanny Liebmann (born March 27, 1833), married Joseph Liebmann (her father's cousin) in 1861, 7 children **Betty Liebmann (born January 1, 1862), married Myron J. Fuerst **Clara Liebmann (born January 26, 1865), married Julius Rosenfeld, parents to writer Paul Rosenfeld **Sarah Liebmann (born January 11, 1864), married Leopold Cohn **Henry L. Liebmann, married Clara von Ende, divorced and remarried to Dolores Zohrab Liebmann **Lily Liebmann (born November 21, 1867), married Carl Gutmann **Martha Liebmann (born September 28, 1873), never married **Johanna Liebmann, died in infancy * Henry Liebmann (December 6, 1836 – March 27, 1915 in

) * Charles Liebmann (November 16, 1837 – June 12, 1928 in

) Samuel Liebmann died in 1872 in his house in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He is buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.

References

''Die Liebmann Brauerei in New York''
retrieved August 15, 2014. * * Carl Schlegel
''Schlegel’s American Families of German Ancestry'', S. 236ff.
retrieved August 15, 2014. * Bernhard Purin: ''"My Beer is Rheingold – the dry Beer". Die Liebmanns, Hermann Schülein und Miss Rheingold''. In: Lilian Harlander, Bernhard Purin (Hg.): ''Bier ist der Wein dieses Landes. Jüdische Braugeschichten'', Volk Verlag, München 2016, , S. 207––229.
''The Liebmann Family and the New York Society for Ethical Culture''
retrieved August 15, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Liebmann, Samuel 1799 births 1872 deaths American Jews American brewers Württemberger emigrants to the United States American company founders Liebmann family People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn 19th-century American businesspeople