John Elmer Milholland

John Elmer Milholland (May 20, 1860 – June 29, 1925) was an American businessman. He served as the first treasurer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Milholland was an editor at the New-York Tribune for twelve years. His company spearheaded work on early pneumatic tubes in New York City.

Biography John Elmer Milholland was born in Lewis, New York, on May 20, 1860, to John and Mary Moore Milholland. His parents were Irish immigrants, and when he was three their house burned down. His mother and sister were killed, and his father returned with Milholland to Ireland. After two years, Milholland returned to America, where his father opened a confectioners shop. Educated at Paterson High School, Milholland was aided by William Walter Phelps and attended New York University.

He also invested in the Batcheller Pneumatic Tube Co., eventually becoming its president. The corporation worked on the first pneumatic tube lines in New York City (see Pneumatic tube mail in New York City). Expanding into other markets, by 1900, Milholland was worth $500,000. An antiexpansionist, Milholland soon moved to London, where he founded the International Union Club, which supported the Boers. In 1904, he created a syndicate that controlled much of the pneumatic mail in Europe. In 1911, he attended the First Universal Races Congress. He died on June 29, 1925, at his home on 247 Fifth Avenue, after a short illness.