Charles Liebmann (November 16, 1837 – June 12, 1928) was a German-born American brewer and president of S. Liebmann Brewery (later

Rheingold Breweries Rheingold Brewery, also referred to as Rheingold Breweries, or Liebmann Breweries, was the producer and marketer of Rheingold Beer from 1883 until 1987. This article is about both the brewery and its primary brand "Rheingold," which has been ...

) 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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The brewery's 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

Charles 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 Schmiedelfeld in 1837, the son of Dara (née Selz) and

Samuel Liebmann 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, New York. Introduced after his death, the main brand ''Rheingold Extra Dry'' w ...

. His father was, at the time, the owner of the estate Schloss Schmiedelfeld. In 1840, the family 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 ...

and ran the inn "Zum Stern" and its attached brewery; and where the young Liebmann attended secondary school. His father determined to immigrate 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 ...

for political reasons and sent Charles' brother in 1850 in advance to procure a home. In 1854, the remainder of the family immigrated settling in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...

. The family first operated the old ''Maasche Brewery'' while Charles worked as a

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), an alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * "Cooper", a song by Roxette from ...

at the '' F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company''. Pooling their resources, the family built a new brewery in

Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; the cemeteries of Highland Park to the southe ...

named the '' S. Liebmann Brewery''. After the death of his father in 1872, the three sons took over the management of the brewery and renamed it ''S. Liebmann's Sons Brewing Company''. The Liebmann brothers alternated with each other as

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

each year. Charles Liebmann was considered the technical director of the company. In 1903, the Liebmann brothers retired and handed over the management of the company to six of their sons.

Personal life

On October 22, 1865, Liebmann married Sophia Bendix; they had four children: * Henry Liebmann (born August 19, 1866), died as a child * Julius Liebmann (November 16, 1868 - October 8, 1957) * Alfred Liebmann (July 20, 1871 - December 1957), married to Alma Wallach Liebmann (1882-1938), 2 children: **Dorothea Liebmann, married to Roger Williams Straus Jr., son of

Gladys Eleanor Guggenheim Straus Gladys Eleanor Guggenheim Straus (August 15, 1895 – March 14, 1980) was an American heiress who became an expert on food and nutrition. Early life She was born in Elberon, New Jersey, on August 15, 1895, as Gladys Eleanor Guggenheim. She was a ...

**Philip Liebmann (February 19, 1915 - February 2, 1972), married Dorothy Walp in 1942, divorced 1943; married

Linda Darnell Linda Darnell (born Monetta Eloyse Darnell; October 16, 1923 – April 10, 1965) was an American actress. Darnell progressed from modelling as a child to acting in theatre and film. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in ...

in 1954, divorced; married Joan Barry in 1955, sister of Al Barry * Amanda Liebmann (born September 10, 1872) Liebmann died on June 12, 1928, in

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, Charles 1837 births 1928 deaths American Jews American brewers Württemberger emigrants to the United States Liebmann family