History Continued..

Pt. 2:  Prohibition
With the passing of the Damon Act in 1916 (which became effective the following year), the sale of alcohol became illegal in the state of Michigan.  The decision was hardly unanimous with a vote of 400,000 to 500,000.  Like other breweries and distillers, starting on May 1, 1917, the Pfeiffer Brewery was closed due to prohibition.   Michigan's prohibition act came a full three years before national prohibition through the efforts of local leaders such as Henry Ford and the Michigan Anti-Saloon League.  Church groups were also involved in the movement.  Henry Ford was such a vocal and harsh critic of alcohol, he set up a division within Ford Motor Company that visited workers' homes to ensure they did not drink or engage in other activities he thought improper. While very few business owners were as committed to imposing their beliefs on their workers as Henry Ford, most believed that workers' productivity was closely related to their level of alcohol consumption.   Apparently, this policy did not have an impact on Henry Ford's decision to keep serving alcohol during private parties hosted at his estate in Dearborn, Michigan.

Adding to the emotions of prohibition supporters were their negative feelings towards people of German decent.  The anti-German attitude had its roots in a general dislike of emigrants.  Many people blamed crime on "foreign born Americans."  Also adding to the tension was the fact that many German-Americans did not hide their support for their homeland during World War I.  By this time, nearly all of Detroit's breweries were of German decent.  While Conrad Pfeiffer had passed away in 1911, his wife and daughter Lillian still ran the family business along with several members of the Breitmeyer family (William, Martin and Frank.)  Pfeiffer and other brewers were the easy target of the politicians and church leaders behind the prohibition movement.

Prevented from producing beer, only 160 breweries in the United States survived through Prohibition, Pfeiffer, of course, being one of them.  While some breweries produced root beer, malt or even ice cream (as was the case for Stroh), Pfeiffer completely closed its operations during this time.  The buildings were leased to the American Linseed Company.

In 1919, the Damon Act was declared unconstitutional by the Michigan Supreme Court.  This was of no help to Michigan brewers, however, because national prohibition took effect that same year.  Despite the vigorous campaign supporting prohibition, many people were opposed to it.  In fact, many of the people set to enforce the law were its greatest offenders.  Everyone from police officers and line workers to politicians and judges were involved in bootlegging.  It has been claimed that up to 75% of all illegal booze that entered the United States passed through Detroit.  To support this large volume of trade, 50,000 Detroit area people were actively involved in the trade.

With the rising discontent among Americans, prohibition's end was imminent.  In 1926, the State Products Company was formed to prepare for Pfeiffer's eventual rebirth.  The State Products Company acquired the assets of the former C. Pfeiffer Brewing Company and waited for the repeal of prohibition.

History, Pt. 3: Repeal and World War II