Emery started in 1946 and was the first freight forwarder to receive a carrier certificate from the United States Government. For 40 years, Emery was the largest freight forwarder/integrated air carrier in the US. In 1979, Emery expanded its freight-forwarding facility near Kennedy International Airport on a 5.5 acre site leased to it by the NYC Public Development Corporation with the grant of a 10-year partial abatement of real estate taxes authorized by the city's Industrial and Commercial Incentive Board.^[2]

In 1987, Wilton, CT-based Emery acquired Purolator Courier, Inc., a leading provider of logistics services between the U.S. and Canada.

In 1988, Towers Financial Corporation, led by its CEO Steven Hoffenberg and his consultant Jeffrey Epstein, unsuccessfully tried to take over Emery in a corporate raidwith Towers Financial as their raiding vessel. Their bid failed.^[3]

In 1989, Emery was acquired by Consolidated Freightways which gained U.S. rights to the Purolator name. In 2011 Purolator was renamed Purolator International.

Emery had its planes grounded on August 13, 2001, due to poor aircraft fleet maintenance.^[4] It officially ceased operating on December 5, 2001. All of Emery's cargo operations were subcontracted to other airlines.

Emery's successor company, Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, was acquired by UPS at the end of 2004.^[5]

At the time of their closing, Emery used Boeing 727, and Douglas DC-8 and DC-10aircraft to transport freight.