William Ellison Mills (April 28, 1859 – September 18, 1930) was an American leather manufacturer and politician from New York.

Life

Mills was born on April 28, 1859, in Gloversville, New York, the son of Darius Case Mills and Eloisa Andalusia Leonard. After finishing public school at 16, Mills began conducting a retail meat market. In 1880, he joined his brothers Edward H., Leonard C., and Charles O. in paper manufacturing. In 1884, they sold the business and started manufacturing leather under the name Mills Brothers Company. The firm later began manufacturing shoe leather. In 1885, they erected a mill. Mills continued running the business even after the three brothers died. He was also vice president of the City National Bank and Trust Company. Mills served on the Gloversville City Council. In 1905, he was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

as a Republican, representing Fulton and Hamilton Counties. He served in the Assembly in

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

, and

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

. During World War I, he directed

Liberty Loan A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financi ...

drives. In 1926, he was appointed to the Board of the Hudson River Regulating District. In 1881, Mills married Elwilda Boyle. She died in 1924. In 1928, he married Mrs. Clara Fox. He was a member of the First Methodist church, and was president of its board of trustees. He was president of the board of managers of the Nathan Littauer Hospital, president of the board of trustees for the Gloversville YMCA, a trustee of the Troy Conference Academy, and a director of the Gloversville

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

. Mills was one of the speakers at the dedication of the Sacandaga Reservoir and the

Conklingville Dam The Conklingville Dam, in Hadley, Saratoga County, New York, is an earthen dam which holds back the Great Sacandaga Lake (in the town of Day, New York). The dam, completed in 1930, is owned by the Hudson River–Black River Regulating District. ...

. He left the next day for San Francisco. He died there on September 18, 1930, the day before he was to embark on a tour of South Pacific islands. He was buried in the family plot in Prospect Hill Cemetery.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, William Ellison 1859 births 1930 deaths People from Gloversville, New York 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from New York (state) American manufacturing businesspeople American textile industry businesspeople New York (state) city council members 20th-century American legislators Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Methodists from New York (state)