On this day in 1856, William Gebhard was born in Wheeling, Illinois. He was destined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Louis, who was the leading brewer in Morris, Illinois. Louis had established the brewery in 1866 and by the time he passed it on to William in the late 1800s, the brewery was a thriving business.

In 1866, William married Adelaide Schroeder and they had a son named Frederick, born in 1887. Unfortunately, William's career in the family brewery was cut short by the National Prohibition in 1920, leading to the permanent closure of the business.

William Gebhard died of a heart attack on May 17th, 1922 at the age of 65.