John Millott Ellis (March 27, 1831 – 1894) was a 19th-century abolitionist minister and intellectual who served as acting President of Oberlin College in 1871.
The chapel speech predated President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation by a mere three weeks, leading to speculation at the time that Ellis's speech may have given President Lincoln the confidence he needed that there was popular support for his Proclamation.
He served only one year in this capacity as he felt that the administrative obligations the job entailed took too much time away from his academic work.
Ellis was a prominent member of the Oberlin community for his entire life, serving as Chief of the Fire Department for several years.
His home was purchased by the college in 1906 and used as a female dormitory called the Ellis Cottage until 1949.