John Cavanagh (hatter)
| John J. Cavanagh | |
|---|---|
John Cavanagh at the 1939 Neiman Marcus Fashion Awards ceremony.
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| 12th Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut | |
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In office 1908–1909 |
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| Preceded by | Charles A. Scofield |
| Succeeded by | Leeman M. Brundage |
| 23rd Mayor of South Norwalk, Connecticut | |
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In office 1902–1903 |
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| Preceded by | Mortimer M. Lee |
| Succeeded by | Charles E. Dow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 16, 1864 Connecticut |
| Died | January 24, 1957 (aged 93) Old Saugatuck Road, Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | J. Garvan Cavanagh |
| Residence | Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Occupation | hatter |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John J. Cavanagh (January 16, 1864 – January 24, 1957) was an American gentleman's hatter based in New York City. He was a Democratic mayor of South Norwalk and of Norwalk, Connecticut. He was a leader in both styling and manufacturing of hats for fifty years.
In 1902, Cavanagh was elected mayor of South Norwalk and in 1908, he was elected mayor of Norwalk. He is the only person to have served as mayors of both cities prior to their consolidation in 1913.
He was very active in Democratic Party politics, and in 1925 was considered for the candidacy for governor of Connecticut. However, he was unwilling, due to his business responsibilities. He was a founder of the Norwalk Hospital, and was a member of its board of trustees for 20 years.
He was a founder of the Shorehaven Golf Club, a member of the Merritt Parkway Commission, the Norwalk Housing Authority, the Norwalk Kiwanis Club, and the State Prison Board. .
Cavanagh went to work for William A. Brown hatters of Norwalk at the age of 17. He worked as a sizer, trimmer, finisher, expert cutter, curler, and plant superintendent. In 1880 he began working for Crofut & Knapp, where he was mentored by James H. Knapp. By 1907, Cavanagh was vice-president of Crofut & Knapp, and from 1923–1937, he was President of the company.
In 1928 Cavanagh created the company of Cavanagh-Dobbs Inc., which included his own hat label, Cavanagh Hats, and a retail outlet in New York City, John Cavanagh Ltd.
In 1932, he founded the Hat Corporation of America, merging his brands with Knox & Dunlap. In 1934 the Cavanagh Hat Research Corporation was founded to research materials and manufacturing methods to benefit the industry. He gave his name to a method of finishing hat brims known as the Cavanagh Edge. Cavanagh's other innovations included introducing regular, long and wide-oval fitting hats to enable customers to find better-fitting ready-to-wear hats. In 1939 John Cavanagh was awarded a Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in recognition of his services to the American hat industry.
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Wikipedia