William Henry Ellis (also known as Guillermo Enrique Eliseo; June 15, 1864 – September 24, 1923) was an American businessman.

[1] He first worked on a ranch, assisted in leather dealing, and later inspecting customs, trading cattle, and growing cotton.

By 1894 an agreement was signed for funding and Ellis agreed to provide as many as 20,000 Black people as workers in the Tlahualilo Municipality.

[1] Ellis became involved in the brokerage business, leading a water company that supplied The Bronx and was valued at $10,000,000.

Ellis also purchased a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and was involved with organizations such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[1][2] In 2016, Karl Jacoby wrote The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire.