John Fairfield Dryden (August 7, 1839 – November 24, 1911) was an American insurance executive and Republican politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1902 to 1907.

[1] In 1875, he founded the Widows and Orphans Friendly Society (now Prudential Financial) in Newark, New Jersey, becoming its first secretary and in 1881 its president, serving in the latter position until his death in 1911.

[2] Dryden was one of the founders of the Fidelity Trust Company and was involved in the establishment and management of various street railways, banks, and other financial enterprises in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

[1] He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William J. Sewell, serving from January 29, 1902, to March 3, 1907.

Together, they were the parents of: Dryden died in Newark, New Jersey, on November 24, 1911, from pneumonia,[1] following removal of gall stones two weeks earlier.