Francis Patrick Garvan (June 13, 1875 – November 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, government official, and long-time president of the Chemical Foundation, Inc.

Later on, he was appointed Director of Bureau of Investigations in the Office of Alien Property Custodian in the Treasury Department; an office tasked with confiscation and management of enemy property in the United States during and after World War I including, notably, patents and other assets of the German dye and chemical industries.

At first, the patents were acquired by the Chemical Foundation from the Office of Alien Property for $250,000 and then leased on the royalty basis to American companies.

At the time, the Chemical Foundation's income was US$ 8.6 million; however, no dividends were paid to any shareholder and the chief officers received no salaries for their work.

The Chemical Foundation suffered from a number of lawsuits filed by German owners; however, the Supreme Court ruled that the process of acquisition and distribution of patents was legal.

In the early 1920s, the Chemical Foundation provided over $100,000 to the Commission on the Standardization of Biological Stains, although some thought many of these funds came directly from Garvan himself.

He supported, in close collaboration with Henry Ford and others, a farm-based production of ethanol (alcohol), which finally helped to supply synthetic rubber during World War II.