Edison Ellsworth Oberholtzer (May 6, 1880 – June 18, 1954) was the first president of the University of Houston.

In March 1925, his niece Madge Oberholtzer—daughter of his older brother George—was kidnapped, tortured and raped by D.C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan.

Her deathbed statement was sufficient to convict Stephenson of second degree murder in one of the most sensational cases in American history.

Oberholtzer began his career in education as a teacher and administrator for small schools in Indiana from 1898 through 1903.

During his tenure, Oberholtzer enlisted the help of philanthropist Hugh Roy Cullen as a large donor and supporter to the university.