“C” is for Converse, Dexter Edgar (1829-1899)

“C” is for Converse, Dexter Edgar (1829-1899). Industrialist. Born in Vermont, Converse worked in a New York cotton mill and learned how mill machinery worked and how the business was operated. In 1854 he moved to Spartanburg and worked at the Bivingsville Cotton Factory. He soon became the mill’s manager. In 1868 Converse and his brother-in-law purchased the company and in 1870 they changed its name to D. E. Converse and Company. In 1880 Converse organized the Clifton Manufacturing Company. The factory employed 500 workers and operated 7,000 spindles. He opened a second mill in 1890.  During the 1890s the profits for the company ranged between twenty-five and thirty percent. In addition to establishing one of the most important industrial enterprises in Spartanburg County, Dexter Edgar Converse contributed to the educational institution in Spartanburg that bears his name.