The
company known today as Johnston & Murphy was
founded in 1850 by William J. Dudley, an immigrant
English shoemaker who established his shoe factory
in Newark, New Jersey. Dudley teamed with James
Johnston in 1880 and continued to manufacture
high-quality shoes. When Dudley died in 1882,
William H. Murphy became Johnston’s new partner
and the company became Johnston & Murphy. In
1957, Johnston & Murphy moved to its present
location in Nashville, Tennessee.
