Menger Family — Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.

The Menger family became the dominant force in the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company following W. E. Hayman’s exit in 1920. By 1923 they held every senior role in the company. Their connection to the firm began at its founding through Minnie Menger Hoffmann.

Members and roles

Mrs. (Dr.) William J. Schlosser — née Minnie Menger

Role: Vice-President and Director (founding through at least 1923)

Daughter of Dr. R. Menger. Married William R. Hoffmann (co-founder). After his death she became one of three original incorporators of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company in February 1912. By 1923 she had remarried Dr. William J. Schlosser but retained her full interest and her role as Vice-President and Director.

The 1923 profile notes: “Mrs. Schlosser, a well-known San Antonio woman, who, by retaining her position in the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co., demonstrates her belief that San Antonio capital should be used in the promotion of San Antonio’s industries.”

G. P. Menger — President (1920–1960) — William R. Hoffmann’s brother-in-law

Vitals: 20 September 1889 – 5 August 1974, San Antonio. See Gustav P. Menger for the full biography.

Confirmed relationship: The December 21, 1932 “Tiny Roaster” article states directly: “Following the death in 1912 of the founder, his brother-in-law, Gus P. Menger became associated with the firm.” Gus is Minnie Menger’s brother, making him Hoffmann’s brother-in-law through marriage.

Role: President from 1920 (when he bought out W. E. Hayman’s interests) through May 1960, when he stepped to a newly-created Board Chairman role; his son Albert succeeded him as president.

The 1934 anniversary article identifies him as “G. P. Menger, president of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company, now celebrating 30 years in business in San Antonio.” The 1934 text also credits “the direction of G. P. Menger, R. W. Menger, and T. J. Menger” for the company’s growth.

The 1923 photo caption identified the president as “Gus R. Menger.” This is almost certainly the same individual — G. P. Menger, nicknamed Gus, with a middle initial discrepancy between the 1923 caption (“R.”) and all other sources (“P.”). The 1923 caption is likely an error. Resolved: G. P. Menger and “Gus R. Menger” are the same person.

Profile (1923): “A president that sells.” Known for keeping in close personal contact with grocers. “His very splendid personality has been the base of his extraordinary success as a salesman of the products he manufactures. He roasts the products you praise.”

Rudolph W. Menger (R. W. Menger) — Secretary-Treasurer

Full name confirmed: Rudolph W. Menger (SA Light, Aug 14, 1921)

Role: Secretary and Treasurer as of August 1921; Secretary-Treasurer by 1923; Secretary by 1934

Quote: “Our success is due to our ability to properly sell the proper quality products and to back him with effective advertising and sales-helps.”

Described as having “the figures” — the most informed person on company growth and progress.

Married Charlotte Malone Menger in 1925; she died 1935 or 1936. Primary residence 301 Primera c.1925–1985.

T. J. Menger — Credit Manager (1923) → Treasurer (1934)

Role: Credit Manager (1923); Treasurer by October 1934

Prior to joining Hoffmann-Hayman, T. J. Menger was bookkeeper and teller at the Alamo National Bank for ten years.

Louis B. Menger (L. B. Menger) — Office Manager → Custodian of Accounts

Full name confirmed: Louis B. Menger (SA Light, Aug 14, 1921)

Role: Office Manager as of August 1921; Custodian of Accounts by 1923

Described as holding “a valuable but thankless job” — faithfully recording every transaction. Duties daily increasing as sales increased.

Albert G. Menger — President (1960–) — son of G. P. Menger

Role: Elected president May 4, 1960, succeeding his father.

The May 5, 1960 San Antonio Express-News announcement confirms the relationship: G. P. Menger, quoted as the new board chairman, said: “I am indeed proud that our directors have given the responsibility for leadership as president of this long-established San Antonio industry to my son, Albert.”

Biography: Age 42 in May 1960 (born c. 1917–1918). Graduate of St. Mary’s University, San Antonio. After graduation served five years in the U.S. Air Force. Joined Hoffmann-Hayman in 1945, with the firm for 15 years by his election.

Family: Wife Lemoyne; three children (Ruth, Barbara, Lemoyne). Residence: 206 Robinhood, San Antonio.

August Menger — Director (1960)

Augustine Peter “August” Menger (10 June 1884 – 3 August 1982; m. Gertrude Schultz) — see August Menger. Named to the board of directors at the May 1960 stockholders/directors meeting alongside G. P., R. W., A. G. Menger, and Mrs. Mildred S. Holliday. Specific relationship to the other Mengers not yet established. (Now established as a brother — see Open Questions and Genealogy below.)

Per Nancy Draves (12 June 2026 session), August was the oldest brother and had little role in the coffee company — he worked in a downtown office (Tim Draves: the Tower Life building). Nancy’s mother worked for Uncle August briefly (~age 18–20). August owned a piano he gave to Rudolph W. Menger for Nancy’s mother to play.

John C. Burkholder — VP of Sales (1960) — non-Menger

Not a member of the Menger family, but noted here for completeness of the 1960 leadership transition. Elected vice president in charge of sales May 4, 1960. With the firm since 1945; previously sales manager. Took charge of the firm’s entire sales territory: South Texas, from Austin to the Rio Grande Valley.

1960 leadership transition

At the May 4, 1960 stockholders and directors meeting:

Office	Officer
Board Chairman (newly created)	G. P. Menger (former president)
President	Albert G. Menger
Executive Vice President	R. W. Menger
Vice President, Sales	John C. Burkholder
Secretary-Treasurer	T. J. Menger

Directors elected: G. P. Menger, R. W. Menger, A. G. Menger, August Menger (1884?–1982, sibling of G.P.; married Gertrude Schultz), Mrs. Mildred S. Holliday.

Family control timeline

Period	President	Key Menger roles
1912	W. E. Hayman	G. P. Menger (Secretary), Minnie Menger Hoffmann (VP)
Jan 1920	G. P. Menger (Menger brothers purchased business)	Rudolph W. Menger (Sec-Treas), Louis B. Menger (Office Mgr)
Aug 1921	G. P. Menger	Rudolph W. Menger (Sec & Treas), Louis B. Menger (Office Mgr)
Dec 1922	G. P. Menger	R. W. Menger (Sec-Treas), Mrs. William Schlosser (VP) — Minnie had already remarried
1923	G. P. Menger (caption error: “Gus R.”)	R. W. Menger (Sec-Treas), T. J. Menger (Credit Mgr), L. B. Menger (Accounts), Minnie Menger Schlosser (VP/Director)
Dec 1932	Gus P. Menger	R. W. Menger (Secretary), T. J. Menger (Treasurer), Minnie Menger Schlosser (VP)
1934	G. P. Menger	R. W. Menger (Secretary), T. J. Menger (Treasurer), Minnie Menger Schlosser (VP)
Sep 1959	Gus P. Menger	R. W. Menger (Exec VP), Albert G. Menger (Secretary), T. J. Menger (Treasurer), John C. Burkholder (General Sales Mgr, non-Menger) — Albert documented in the company before his May 1960 elevation
May 1960	Albert G. Menger (G. P. Menger → Board Chairman)	R. W. Menger (Exec VP), T. J. Menger (Sec-Treas), John C. Burkholder (VP Sales, non-Menger); directors also incl. August Menger, Mildred S. Holliday
1962	(Sale)	Continental Coffee of Chicago purchases H&H. T. J. Menger retires after 41 years (1921→1962). End of Menger family control.

Genealogy — the two Menger families

The H&H Mengers descend from two unrelated German immigrant families who happened to share the surname, united by a single marriage in 1879.

Chain

William Achatius Menger (1827–1871)  ×  Mary Baumschlüeter (1816–1887)
[Menger Hotel co-founders, San Antonio]
        │
        └── Catherine Barbara Menger (1860–1947)
                │
                × Dr. Rudolph A. Menger (1851–1921)   ← soap-works Menger line
                  [City Physician of San Antonio; son of Simon (Johann) Menger,
                   soap-works founder, + Augusta Louisa Menger — no blood relation to hotel Mengers]
                │
                ├── Minnie Menger Hoffmann Schlosser (1880–1956) — VP, H&H
                ├── Edward W. Menger (1881–1960) — silent shareholder; metalwork/patents
                ├── August Menger (1884–1982) — silent shareholder; director 1960; married Gertrude Schultz
                ├── Louis B. Menger (1886–1971) — Office Manager / Accounts, H&H
                ├── Gustav P. Menger (1889–1974) — President, H&H
                ├── Rudolph W. Menger (1892–1985) — Secretary / Advertising, H&H
                ├── Theodore J. Menger (1896–1987) — Treasurer, H&H
                └── Clara Marie Margaret "Tutz" Menger (1898–1980) — not in company

Sibling vital dates (the “coffee generation,” children of Catherine Barbara Menger and Dr. Rudolph Menger, m. 1879) are recorded on the Tim Draves “Mary Menger Descendants” worksheet (rev. 7 July 2016), transcribed in the Draves 19 June 2026 scans: Minnie (4 Jul 1880 – 23 Apr 1956), Edward W. (31 Dec 1881 – 10 Nov 1960), August (10 Jun 1884 – 3 Aug 1982; m. Gertrude Schultz), Louis B. (8 Sep 1886 – 29 Oct 1971), Gustav P. (1890 on the worksheet vs 20 Sep 1889 here — unresolved; 1874 death), Rudolph W. (1892–1985; m. Charlotte Malone), Theodore J. (1896–1987), and Clara “Tutz” (1898–1980). The two previously-undocumented siblings — August and Clara “Tutz” — now have their own stub pages.

The two Menger families

Hotel Mengers (William A.’s line): William Achatius Menger arrived San Antonio ~1850 from Windecken, Hesse; married Mary Baumschlüeter 1851; built brewery (1855) and hotel (1859); died 1871. His three surviving children — Louis William (1852–1919), Peter Gustav (1857–1914), and Catherine Barbara (1860–1947) — inherited ~20 pieces of real estate and $6,000 cash each from Mary’s 1887 estate. Modest lifestyles; no King William homes; no documented social-elite connections (Tim Draves, June 2026).

Dr. Rudolph’s Mengers (the soap-works line): Dr. Rudolph A. Menger (born 1851) was the son of Simon (Johann) Menger — founder of the Menger Soap Works (1807–1892) — and Augusta Louisa Menger, a German immigrant family unrelated to the Menger Hotel Mengers. He studied medicine at the University of Leipzig, served as City Physician of San Antonio 1875–81 and 1892, and married Catherine Barbara Menger (daughter of William A.) in 1879 — the marriage that joined the two unrelated Menger lines. Dr. Rudolph died March 16, 1921.

✅ Resolved (TODO-49). Dr. Rudolph’s father was Simon (Johann) Menger — the soap-works Menger (musician; founder of SA’s first German men’s choir) — confirmed by contemporary documents in the Draves 19 June 2026 scans: a newspaper clipping (“son of Simon Jonathan Menger”), the 1857–8 Simon Menger family portrait + verso key (Dr. Rudolph as child ⑦), and Augusta Louisa Menger’s obituary. The old “Johann and Augusta” parentage was a mis-split of Simon Johann + Augusta Louisa. So the H&H generation descends from two unrelated Menger lines at once — maternally the hotel (William A. → Catherine) and paternally the soap works (Simon → Dr. Rudolph). See Dr. Rudolph Menger and Simon Menger. (Residual: Dr. Rudolph’s birth year 1851-vs-1852 and the City-Physician dates remain open-question flags on his page, pending a primary vital record.)

What the Menger Hotel connection did and didn’t mean

The H&H Mengers were grandchildren of the Menger Hotel founders — but Tim Draves’s research finds no evidence that Menger Hotel prestige translated into capital or social-elite status for William and Mary’s children. Catherine Barbara’s inheritance was solid but not lavish. The connection to the hotel is genealogical and reputational, not financial. The H&H company’s capital came from the business itself, not a hotel fortune.

Key sources

Tim Draves corrections, June 1, 2026: 2026-06-01-tim-draves-wa-menger-corrections
Immigrant Entrepreneurship entry (Julia Brookins, AHA): 2026-06-02-william-achatius-menger-immigrant-entrepreneurship
UT Health Science Center Library: 2026-06-02-dr-rudolph-menger-biographical-sources
TSHA Mary Menger article (Tim Draves, 2020)

The brothers’ character

Per Nancy and Tim Draves (12 June 2026 session), the Menger brothers all attended St. Mary’s University and shared a reserved, polite, calm temperament. They respected each other’s distinct talents and worked together roughly 50 years without real conflict: Gus the assertive businessman; Edward the metal craftsman; Theodore “Ted” the outgoing treasurer/bookkeeper (who had earlier worked in a bank); and Rudolph reserved. Several never married — Louis, Ted, and one sister.

Edward Menger’s patents. Edward W. Menger of San Antonio holds at least five U.S. patents (1921–1939). The deer-mount Tim Draves described is US 2,003,896 “Horn Mount” (1935) — an ornamental plate whose center bolt clamps the skull against the plate — with a companion design patent USD 96,848 “Wall Bracket for Mounting Horns” (1935); his earliest is the “Pressure-Screw” (US 1,387,996, 1921). See Edward W. Menger.

Family genealogy — four generations

The Hoffmann-Menger-Schlosser family tree spans four generations, and the third generation supplied essentially every senior officer of Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company from 1920 onward. The connection to San Antonio’s hospitality elite runs through Catherine Menger’s father — a previously-tangential link now first-class in KB:

Gen 1  William A. Menger (Menger Hotel founder, Alamo Plaza)
       │
Gen 2  Catherine Menger ── m. ── Dr. Rudolph Menger (San Antonio physician)
       (William A.'s            (East Commerce Street household)
        daughter)
       │
Gen 3  H&H "Menger generation" — siblings and cousins, all officers by mid-1920s:
       │
       ├─ Wilhelmina "Minnie" Menger ── m. (1) ── William R. Hoffmann (1909)
       │   │  (VP/Director 1912+,                  (founder, died Jan 1912)
       │   │   d. 1956)                            │
       │   │                                       └─ William R. Hoffmann Jr.
       │   │                                          (Dec 1910 – Jan 1911,
       │   │                                           infant; only child)
       │   │
       │   └─ ── m. (2) ── Dr. William J. Schlosser (b. 1875, d. 1963)
       │                   (second husband; appears in family material;
       │                    "Mrs. Schlosser" replaces "Mrs. Hoffmann" by Dec 1922)
       │
       ├─ Gustav P. Menger (b. 1889, d. 1974)
       │   (Secretary 1912, President 1920–1960, Board Chairman 1960–)
       │   │
       │   ├─ m. (1) Rosa Lee Crowther (1917)
       │   ├─ m. (2) Catherine Adell Brinkman Paxson (1956)
       │   │
       │   └─ children include Albert Gus, Barbara Ann, Mary Margaret, Rose Marie
       │       (Gen 4; Albert succeeds father as president 1960)
       │
       ├─ Rudolph W. Menger (Sec-Treas 1920+, Exec VP 1960)
       ├─ T. J. Menger (Credit Mgr 1923, Treasurer 1934, Sec-Treas 1960)
       ├─ Louis B. Menger (Office Mgr 1921, Custodian of Accounts 1923)
       ├─ A. G. Menger (Asst Secy on early letterhead)
       └─ August Menger (Director 1960; sibling-cousin relationship unverified)
       │
Gen 4  Albert G. Menger (b. c.1917–18, son of Gus P.; d. Feb 1994)
       (St. Mary's University; 5 years US Air Force; joined H&H 1945;
        President May 1960 → 1962 Continental Coffee acquisition)
       Plus Gus's other children (Barbara Ann, Mary Margaret, Rose Marie),
       and Albert's three children (Ruth, Barbara, Lemoyne)

Generational dynamics

Gen 1 (William A. Menger) establishes the Menger Hotel name as a 19th-century San Antonio hospitality landmark — value the family carried into the next-century coffee business as cultural capital. The hotel is on Alamo Plaza, a few blocks from H&H’s various downtown plant addresses (208 E. Commerce, 1223 W. Commerce, 307 N. Medina, 331 Burnett before the 1932 Delaware Street move).
Gen 2 (Catherine Menger + Dr. Rudolph Menger) bridges hospitality money/standing into a physician household on East Commerce Street. Dr. R. Menger has no documented direct role in H&H operations but is the patriarch by genealogy.
Gen 3 (H&H Menger generation) is the working family: Minnie + her brothers/cousins staffed every senior office at H&H by 1934. The exact sibling-cousin relationship among Gus P., R. W., T. J., L. B., A. G., and August Menger remains a project Open Question — the 1934 anniversary feature styles them collectively as “Menger brothers” but doesn’t enumerate the sibling-vs-cousin relationships.
Gen 4 (Albert G. Menger) runs H&H through the Continental Coffee transition. The Hoffmann line ends here — William R. Jr. died in infancy (1911), and Minnie’s second marriage to Dr. Schlosser produced no documented H&H-officer children.

The Menger Hotel connection

The single most distinctive feature of the H&H family story is that the firm’s senior leadership comes from the same family that owned San Antonio’s landmark hotel — a connection that runs through Catherine’s father William A. Menger. Why this matters:

Hotel-trade pre-existing channel. H&H’s hotel-and-restaurant trade brand was Master Chef Coffee (c.1927 origin per project lore + 1952 “25-year favorite” corroboration). E. E. Knous’s role as restaurant specialist appears in 1923 — so H&H was selling to the hotel/restaurant trade well before Master Chef was branded. The Menger Hotel itself was a plausible internal first-customer for hotel-trade coffee, though no surviving invoice or 1920s-era contract documents this directly. The proximity of Mi Tierra Cafe (Market Square, founded 1941) as a known Master Chef customer is the analogous post-1941 documented case.
Brand naming. The retail line Menger Hotel Coffee (a Hoffmann-Hayman wordmark named for the family hotel) and the separate Menger Peaberry Coffee (renamed from Fancy Peaberry circa 1920–1923, contemporaneous with the Menger family takeover of the firm) both invoke the hotel-family identity in retail marketing.
Cultural capital. The Menger Hotel connection gave the family business credentials and trust in the San Antonio commercial community — visible in the 1923 San Antonio Light H&H Day feature where the firm’s executives are portrayed as established San Antonio business society alongside other landmark concerns.

Open questions

What is the precise relationship among G. P., R. W., T. J., and L. B. Menger — brothers, cousins? Resolved — siblings (2026-05-21). The 30 October 1971 Louis B. Menger obituary (HH-CLIP-1971-0002) names surviving brothers August, Gus, Rudolph, Theodore Menger and sister Miss Margaret Menger; the 7 August 1974 Gus P. Menger obituary (HH-CLIP-1974-0002) names surviving brothers August, Rudolph W., Ted J. Menger and sister Margaret Menger (Louis B. having predeceased Gus P. in 1971; Edward W. having predeceased both in 1960 per HH-CLIP-1960-0004). The full sibling set documented across the obituaries is therefore seven: Gus P., Rudolph W., Theodore J., Louis B., August, Edward W., and Margaret Menger — all sharing the “grandson/granddaughter of the founder of the Menger Hotel and Menger Soap Factory” lineage line. Precise birth order remains undocumented (see Gustav P. Menger Open Questions).
Did Dr. R. Menger have any direct role in the business?
When exactly did G. P. Menger join the company — was it immediately after the 1912 charter (where he is listed as Secretary), or did he participate earlier during Hoffmann’s lifetime?
Who is August Menger (1960 director) — relation to G. P., Albert, etc.? Resolved — brother of G. P. (2026-05-21). The 1971 and 1974 obituaries (HH-CLIP-1971-0002, HH-CLIP-1974-0002) both list “August” as a surviving brother of Louis B. and Gus P. Menger. August Menger’s appearance on the May 1960 board is therefore a Gen-3 placement (brother of Gus P., uncle of Albert G.), not a Gen-4 figure.
Who is Mrs. Mildred S. Holliday (1960 director) — is she a Menger by birth (e.g. daughter or sister), and what is the connection? Partial trace: a Fred(erick) J. Holliday appears as a pallbearer in both the 1971 Louis B. (HH-CLIP-1971-0002) and 1974 Gus P. (HH-CLIP-1974-0002) obituaries, suggesting a close-family Holliday connection through Mildred — most plausibly her husband or son, not a Menger sibling-by-marriage. Marriage and 1900–1920 census records are the next research angle. Live lead (2026): a Fred Holliday (fred@fredholliday.com) — who visited the 601 Delaware factory years ago (when he was with the Lux Realty) and left a card, and has since moved to Kuper Sotheby’s — is said to be related to a Holliday side of the family, and was emailed 2026-06-15 for a firsthand answer to this question (awaiting reply). See contact record.
Albert G. Menger served as president from May 1960 to the 1962 Continental Coffee acquisition — about two years before the sale. What was his role at Continental (if any) after the acquisition?
The H&H photographs identify the siblings (Draves Rec13, 12 June 2026). Nancy Draves read the family photos on tape: the 1933 NRA roster group photo (keyed: Schlosser, Minnie, August, Edward, Louis; Chris Jasso 6th row) and the “two H&H signs side-by-side” group photo on South Crescent Street (front row: Rudolph center, Minnie, Gus, Ted, August, Edward; Louis absent) — now identified as the 1929 Summerville panorama whose left half the collection holds as HH-COLL-2018-0003 (see Summerville Photos). To verify against the photographed originals. Living-source lead: Nancy labeled the “Mary Menger + grandchildren” photo with Gus Menger’s daughter. See 12 June digest.
Lead — OHP is in touch with “a granddaughter of Rudolph Menger.” On the 9 June 2026 OHP designation call, OHP’s Amy Fulkerson said she is in contact with a granddaughter of Rudolph Menger, “one of the brothers that ran the business” — i.e. Gen-3 R. W. Menger, not the Gen-2 patriarch Dr. Rudolph Menger. The KB already documents Nancy Draves as R. W. Menger’s granddaughter, so this is very likely Nancy (or a sibling/cousin of hers). Confirm who OHP’s contact is — it may simply be Nancy, or a new living descendant to reach.

H and H Coffee