John Barnard Gest (November 4, 1823 – March 1, 1907) was a banker and lawyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[2] In 1872, Gest was appointed vice president of the Fidelity Insurance Trust and Safe Deposit Company.

He served as president[2] of the Union Benevolent Association, a charity organization founded in 1831;[8] a council member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; and a trustee of Presbyterian Hospital.

His bust appears alongside those of prominent Union admirals and generals and the inscription dedicating the arch "in memory of Pennsylvanians who took part in the Civil War.

[11] Gest developed a severe case of bronchitis and died in Philadelphia on March 1, 1907, at the age of 83.