U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said William Wilberforce, a late 18th century British politician, “pushed the sale of beer” to successfully combat “drunkenness related to gin” in England. But Wilberforce wasn’t even born until after the so-called gin epidemic had ended in the early 1750s, and its conclusion wasn’t due to beer.
The gin epidemic’s end eventually came at the hand of multiple factors, including the rising price of grain, reduced wages, and legislation that raised taxes on gin.