John Dendahl (September 28, 1938 – November 9, 2013) was an American business executive, Republican politician, and syndicated columnist from New Mexico.

[citation needed] The elder Dendahl owned a merchant business established in 1901 by his grandfather, Johann, and operated by the family for three generations.

[citation needed] He attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated in 1961 with bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering (electronics) and business administration (finance).

[citation needed] Later, Dendahl was the first chief financial officer of the then-new Santa Fe campus of St. John's College.

[citation needed] Dendahl served as New Mexico's Secretary of Economic Development and Tourism from 1988 to 1990 a position he was appointed to by Governor Garrey Carruthers.