In what state was Converse founded?

Converse was founded in Massachusetts.

Marquis Mills Converse founded the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts. The company began as a rubber footwear manufacturer, producing winterized shoes and boots before developing products for the growing market for athletic footwear.

Converse’s Massachusetts origin is sometimes confused with later company locations. The brand has had offices and manufacturing operations in several Massachusetts communities, including North Andover, and its world headquarters is now in Boston. Those later locations do not change the company’s founding place.

The company entered basketball footwear in the 1910s, introducing an early All Star model in 1917. Its connection with basketball deepened after Chuck Taylor joined the company and promoted the shoes nationwide. Converse eventually became a globally recognized lifestyle brand and was acquired by Nike in 2003, but its corporate story begins in Malden.