Zadoc Benedict was an American hat manufacturer who established the first hat factory on Main Street in Danbury, Connecticut in 1780.
[1][2] It had 3 employees, and made 18 hats weekly.
[3][4] Legend holds that Benedict plugged a hole in his shoe with rabbit fur, and found that over time the fur turned into felt.
He then supposedly developed a process of making hats from the fur of locally available animals, like rabbit and beaver.
This article about a United States businessperson is a stub.