Richard A. Meyer
Richard A. Meyer was an American businessman, an executive with the Anheuser-Busch Companies and the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. He was president of Anheuser-Busch from 1971–74 and a longtime senior manager for and aide to brewery owner August A. Busch, Jr.
In 1953, when Busch purchased the Cardinals from Fred Saigh, he named brewery executive Meyer the general manager of the franchise because Meyer had been a baseball player as a youth. Although a Major League general manager during the 1950s typically combined career-long experience in baseball operations as well as business acumen, Meyer held the position for two full seasons, during which time the Cardinals introduced three standout rookies: outfielders Wally Moon and Bill Virdon and third baseman Ken Boyer. They broke the franchise's "color line" when their first African-American baseball player, first baseman Tom Alston, made his National League debut on April 13, 1954. But the Redbirds struggled on the field: they went 140–168, finished sixth and seventh in the National League, and changed managers, from Eddie Stanky to Harry Walker, on May 27, 1955.
Busch and Meyer then hired veteran baseball executive Frank Lane, formerly with the Chicago White Sox, to assume the team's general manager duties on October 6, 1955. Meyer returned to the brewery but remained executive vice president of the Cardinals, serving the team for another 18 years.
Meyer, then 57, resigned from the brewery and the Cardinals in February 1974 after 38 years with Anheuser-Busch after a disagreement with Busch over personnel reduction.
