Stetson, John B(atterson) (1830–1906)

US manufacturer. In 1865 he opened a hat factory in Philadelphia. He achieved success by relying on his own taste for style and by building a reputation for quality. At his death, he left an industrial plant employing 3,500, with production of two million hats and employee benefits such as profit-sharing, bonuses, and a company hospital.

He was born in Orange, New Jersey; into a family of hatters with 11 siblings. Stetson learned the trade and set out on his own. Ill health forced him west where a life outdoors restored him. An active and generous Baptist, he wintered in De Land, Florida, where he supported the De Land Academy whose name was changed to the John B Stetson University.