Joseph Lawrence Mailman was a U.S. businessman and philanthropist.

Mailman was the son of Jewish immigrants. Along with his brother Abraham, Mailman founded the Utica Knife and Razor Company in 1920, which was later named the Mailman Corporation and was one of the first Conglomerate

Conglomerate (company)

A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...

s to have been formed. He and his brother started the Persona Blade Company in 1928, the British Rubber Company in 1934, and was chairman of Air Express International.

In addition to his successful business career, he engaged in numerous philanthropic pursuits, especially health and education causes. He was a leading fundraiser for the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. He also assisted families escaping horrors of Nazi Germany. With his brother, he established the Mailman Foundation in 1943, which continues his charitable work. In recognition of a US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

33 million gift from the foundation, the School of Public Health at Columbia University

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center is an academic medical center that includes Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health...

 was named the Mailman School of Public Health in his honor.