Amos Hazen Peaslee was born in Burlington, Vermont.  In 1852 he and his wife moved to Iowa and found a job as the manager of a hotel in Sabula, an island town on the Mississippi River about 45 miles south of Dubuque.  A few years later he relocated do Dubuque and opened the Peaslee House hotel.  He then ran the Fisher House in Anamosa for a time.  Then in 1861 Peaslee opened up a hotel in the town of Julien, a quiet village 12 miles west of Dubuque.  In Dubuque, Peaslee became a prominent citizen.  He was elected mayor twice and was chairman of the Democratic county committee twice.

In 1866 he expanded into the brewery business and hired Arthur Mott Downer, a brewer from Chicago as brewmaster and foreman.  The brewery became a regional powerhouse.  In the days before Budweiser the Peaslee Ale Company was able to find markets all over the upper Midwest and as far west as New Mexico. 

Downer and Peaslee operated the brewery together until Peaslee's untimely death at age 51, on March 29th, 1878.  Upon Amos Peaslee's death his family assumed ownership and his 21 year old son Edward Chase Peaslee was put in charge.  Downer continued brewing for the firm right up until his own death in 1899.

With Downer gone and Iowa becoming increasingly hostile to the brewing industry The Peaslee Ale Co. struggled in the new century.  Edward brought on John F. Brede as partner in 1902 but he exited in 1905.  Edwqard Peaslee continued on for two more years before closing down the company for good in 1907.

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