John Gorham Palfrey Jr. (March 12, 1919 – October 28, 1979) was an American academic, administrator, and government official.

[3] John and his sisters were avid tennis players, with all five of his sisters winning a national junior title, including Sarah Palfrey Cooke, who won two singles, nine women's doubles, and four mixed doubles titles at the U.S. National Championships.

[2] He was a great-grandson of Massachusetts Congressman John G. Palfrey and the first dean of Harvard Divinity School.

His family is descended from William Palfrey, who served in the American Revolutionary War as aide-de-camp to George Washington.

[11] Another grandson, Quentin Palfrey, currently serves as Deputy General Counsel at the United States Department of Commerce and was a Democratic candidate in the 2018 Massachusetts election for lieutenant governor.