Stetson, John Batterson (1830-1906), was an American hat manufacturer and philanthropist. He went West in the early 1860’s to regain his health, and used his knowledge of Western tastes and hatmaking to design his famous ten-gallon hat. He established a factory in Philadelphia in 1865, and became the leading hat manufacturer in America. Although he had little formal education, Stetson endowed a small academy in DeLand, Florida, which later became Stetson University. He was born in Orange, New Jersey.
