G. Howard HODGE was one of the best known American milliners of the mid 20th Century. Born in Woodland,Ca. outside of Sacramento in 1891, he was the son of a farmer turned grocer. As a teenager, he moved on to San Francisco, working as a stock clerk at Mueller and Rans millinery factory. Prior to WWI, he had become a traveling salesman for the firm. After the war, HODGE started a factory at 15 Stockton St. in San Francisco. He launched the Catallan line of hats from a later factory on Market Street. By 1928, he was established in New York with G. Howard Hodge Hats, Inc. and was chairman of the Millinery Quality Guild by 1937. The Guild later changed their name to the Millinery Creators Guild. His label in the 1950s shows 711 Fifth Ave. as the business location. His daughter Dorothy HODGE ENNIS was a sale executive for the firm. HODGE applied for design patents for hats in 1943 and 1948. National newspaper and fashion press coverage of his new styles started in 1928 and was extensive until 1963. He died May 13, 1966. His designs were inventive and well made for the higher end of the market. HODGE did also manufacture licensed adaptations of Paris lines.