John Ogden (February 12, 1824 – July 23, 1910) was an American military officer, minister, veteran educator, and abolitionist.

He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, being captured in 1864 and held prisoner until the conflict ended.

[7][4] Not long after arriving at Winona State Normal School, Ogden enlisted to fight in the American Civil War.

[3][4] In 1865, Ogden joined with Erastus Milo Cravath and Edward Parmelee Smith of the American Missionary Association to create a school in Nashville for the education of men and women "irrespective of color".

[11] Ogden served as the school's first principal, and on August 12, 1867, a charter was signed, transforming the institution into Fisk University.

[18][19] Frederick W. Cathro stayed on with Ogden and served again as Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction.

[3][5] In 1866, he married Anna Augusta Brewster, a former pupil at Winona State Normal School, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.