Joseph Coors
Encyclopedia
Joseph Coors, Sr. was the grandson of Adolph Coors
and president of Coors Brewing Company
.
. His siblings include Adolph Coors III
and William Coors
. He graduated from Cornell University
in 1939 with a degree in chemical engineering
, staying to earn a master's degree in 1940. His brother Adolph Coors III
and cousin Dallas Morse Coors were his classmates, and all three were members of Kappa Alpha Society
and Quill and Dagger
society.
; the porcelain business helped support the company during Prohibition
. With his brother, William Coors
, Joseph refined the cold-filtered beer manufacturing system and began America's first large-scale recycling program by offering 1-cent returns on Coors aluminum cans. He served one term as a regent of the University of Colorado
, attempting to quell what he considered to be campus radicalism during the Vietnam war
. He served as president of Coors from 1977 to 1985 and chief operating officer from 1980 to 1988. His leadership helped expand Coors beer distribution from western states to the entire USA.
along with Paul Weyrich
and Edwin Feulner
, Coors provided $250,000 to the think tank to cover its first year budget. He was also involved with the founding of the Free Congress Foundation
and the Council for National Policy
. He was a member of Ronald Reagan
's Kitchen Cabinet
, helping finance Reagan's political career as governor of California and U.S. president. Coors was also known to have privately donated $65,000 to buy a light cargo plane for the Contras
effort in Nicaragua during Reagan's presidency. That donation went through National Security Council adviser Oliver North
.
, after a three-month battle with lymphatic cancer.
Adolph Coors
Adolph Herman Joseph Coors, Sr. was a brewman who started the Adolph Coors Company in Golden, Colorado in 1873.-Early years:...
and president of Coors Brewing Company
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...
.
Birth and education
Coors was born in 1917 to Alice May Kistler (1885-1970) and Adolph Coors IIAdolph Coors II
Adolph Herman Joseph Coors, Jr. was the son of Adolph Coors and the second President of Coors Brewing Company....
. His siblings include Adolph Coors III
Adolph Coors III
Adolph Coors III was the grandson of Adolph Coors and heir to the Coors beer empire.-Biography:He was born on January 12, 1916 and attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire...
and William Coors
William Coors
William Coors is the grandson of Adolph Coors, the founder of the Coors Brewing Company. William Coors has been affiliated with the company for 64 years, and was a board member from 1973 to 2003.-Biography:Mr. Coors was born in Colorado on August 11, 1916...
. He graduated from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1939 with a degree in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, staying to earn a master's degree in 1940. His brother Adolph Coors III
Adolph Coors III
Adolph Coors III was the grandson of Adolph Coors and heir to the Coors beer empire.-Biography:He was born on January 12, 1916 and attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire...
and cousin Dallas Morse Coors were his classmates, and all three were members of Kappa Alpha Society
Kappa Alpha Society
The Kappa Alpha Society , founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad...
and Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent collegiate societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones of Yale University...
society.
Marriage
He married Edith Holland Hanson in 1941 and had five sons, Jeffrey, Joseph Jr., Grover, John and Peter Coors. He later divorced and then married Anne Coors.Brewing career
After graduation, he began work in the Coors Porcelain Co.CoorsTek
CoorsTek, Inc. is a privately owned manufacturer of technical ceramics, semiconductor tooling, plastic tubing, medical devices and other industrial products. CoorsTek’s headquarters and primary factories are located in Golden, Colorado, USA, near the foothills west of Denver. The company is...
; the porcelain business helped support the company during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. With his brother, William Coors
William Coors
William Coors is the grandson of Adolph Coors, the founder of the Coors Brewing Company. William Coors has been affiliated with the company for 64 years, and was a board member from 1973 to 2003.-Biography:Mr. Coors was born in Colorado on August 11, 1916...
, Joseph refined the cold-filtered beer manufacturing system and began America's first large-scale recycling program by offering 1-cent returns on Coors aluminum cans. He served one term as a regent of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, attempting to quell what he considered to be campus radicalism during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He served as president of Coors from 1977 to 1985 and chief operating officer from 1980 to 1988. His leadership helped expand Coors beer distribution from western states to the entire USA.
Politics
Coors was perhaps best known for his conservative politics. A founding member of the Heritage FoundationHeritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
along with Paul Weyrich
Paul Weyrich
Paul M. Weyrich was an American conservativepolitical activist and commentator, most notable as a figurehead of the New Right. He co-founded the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank and the Free Congress Foundation, another conservative think tank...
and Edwin Feulner
Edwin Feulner
Edwin John Feulner Jr. is President of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, a position he has held since 1977....
, Coors provided $250,000 to the think tank to cover its first year budget. He was also involved with the founding of the Free Congress Foundation
Free Congress Foundation
The Free Congress Foundation , is a conservative think tank founded by Paul Weyrich. It was based near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C...
and the Council for National Policy
Council for National Policy
The Council for National Policy , is an umbrella organization and networking group for social conservative activists in the United States...
. He was a member of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's Kitchen Cabinet
Kitchen Cabinet
The Kitchen Cabinet was a term used by political opponents of President of the United States Andrew Jackson to describe the collection of unofficial advisers he consulted in parallel to the United States Cabinet following his purge of the cabinet at the end of the Eaton affair and his break with...
, helping finance Reagan's political career as governor of California and U.S. president. Coors was also known to have privately donated $65,000 to buy a light cargo plane for the Contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
effort in Nicaragua during Reagan's presidency. That donation went through National Security Council adviser Oliver North
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
.
Death
Coors died in Rancho Mirage, CaliforniaRancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
, after a three-month battle with lymphatic cancer.