Jacob Spori (March 26, 1847 – September 27, 1903)[1] was the first principal of the Bannock Stake Academy, an institution that would eventually become Brigham Young University–Idaho.
A native of Switzerland, Spori was a high school principal and government officer in that country.
His wife, Magdalena Roschi, and children stayed in Switzerland because they had not joined the LDS Church.
It was here that Spori served as principal of the school that eventually became Ricks College and later Brigham Young University—Idaho.
Spori was a highly educated man who had degrees in "mathematics, arts and music, and metallurgy.".