John Herbert Foster (1796–1874) was an American physician, landowner, and early settler of Chicago who arrived in there in approximately 1835.

[3][5] Graduating from the Medical Department of Dartmouth College, he began to practice medicine in Dublin, New Hampshire.

[3] Amid the Panic of 1837, which halted demand for land sales in Chicago, Foster left his property in the care of his attorney, J.

After his return to Chicago, the economy ultimately began to recover, and with it so did the real estate market.

The fund served to procure medals and other rewards of merit for those attending the grammar department of Chicago public schools.