Saint Louis, Mo. — John Britton, principal of John Britton & Associates — who lobbied in Jefferson City for more than 50 years — died today at the age of 88. Britton was in the hospital for surgery where he ultimately succumbed to pneumonia at St. Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City.
Britton achieved legendary status among Missouri lawmakers. A former Army paratrooper and Harvard graduate, Britton was seen by many as the quintessential freewheeling lobbyist, shaking hands, supplying endless cases of beer on behalf of one of his most prominent longtime clients, Anheuser-Busch, and permanently cemented on the third floor with a cigarette dangling from his mouth long after the state banned smoking in the hallways.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we learned today of the passing of John Britton,” Michael Roche, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Anheuser-Busch wrote in a statement. “August A. “Gussie” Busch, Jr. personally hired John to represent Anheuser-Busch in 1964. Since that time, he has served as a key advisor and representative for our company in Jefferson City. We could not be more proud to have had this legend, war hero and dean of the lobbying corps represent us. He will be greatly missed and never forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Britton was never chided for his smokes. On the contrary, the man who frequently represented tobacco interests in the state was given an honorable designation as his own smoking area. Staffers and lawmakers alike know it was not uncommon to see Britton smoking fast over a bathroom sink.
John Bardgett of John Bardgett & Associates called Britton an “icon.”
“Every individual in the independent lobbying world of Jefferson City owes him a deep debt of gratitude,” Bardgett said. “But for Mr. Britton and his trailblazing of the lobbying profession in Missouri, none of us would ever have the opportunity to work in a field that we love and be compensated in the fashion that we are. He was one of the brightest and classiest individuals I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting in my life.”
Britton — chain-smoking and quick witted — spent decades fighting efforts to curb smoking in public and higher beer taxes. In the era of term limits, Britton’s depth of knowledge was invaluable to friends and a frustration to foes.
“John was always a gentlemen’s gentleman,” said Mike Louis, acting president of the Missouri AFL-CIO. “He was a pleasure to work with when you shared an issue.”
Mark Richardson, longtime minority leader in the House, said Britton was the unofficial “dean of the lobbyists.”
“He was absolutely the most powerful lobbyist for an entire generation,” Richardson said. “He was the sort of dean of those guys. He had great institutional memory, and great wisdom. To say he was the most powerful lobbyist in the capitol is actually probably an understatement.
“A true gentleman,” said state senator Eric Schmitt. “His advocacy for his clients is well-documented but even more importantly he was a true war hero whose life of service epitomized many of the great sacrifices of the greatest generation.”
Former Missouri Governor Bob Holden said he had immense respect for Britton despite not always agreeing on the issues.
“We didn’t always agree on tobacco or on alcohol issues,” Holden said. “But there was no guessing about his position or his motives. He was an institution within an institution. He was truly one of a kind and there is probably nobody in this era that could match him in terms of effectiveness or articulation of issues he thought were important. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
