Dexter Edgar Converse

Dexter Edgar Converse (1829–1899) a was a textile entrepreneur who was co-founder and namesake of Converse College. Converse was native of Vermont who had moved to Spartanburg prior to the American Civil War and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry, and served as the head of the Converse College's first board of directors and was among the school's founders and substantial donors.