One of Chicago's first shoe dealers and manufacturers, this enterprise was founded as Ward & Doggett in 1846 by William E. Doggett and George L. Ward. In 1856, when the company was employing about 40 manufacturing workers and doing about $350,000 in annual wholesale sales, the name of the company became Doggett, Bassett & Hills. By the early 1870s, the company's factory on Lake Street had about 100 employees, who made $250,000 worth of shoes a year. By the 1880s, the firm's yearly sales had topped $1 million, but, soon after, the company declined and disappeared.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.