John Villiers Farwell Sr. (July 29, 1825 – August 20, 1908) was an American merchant and philanthropist from New York City.

Moving to Chicago, Illinois, at a young age, he joined Wadsworth & Phelps, eventually rising to be senior partner at John V. Farwell & Co.

John Villiers Farwell was born on July 29, 1825, in Mead's Creek, Steuben County, New York.

He worked in the office of the City Clerk of Chicago then joined the dry goods house of Hamilton & White as a bookkeeper.

Farwell trained several of Chicago's future prominent businessmen, including Marshall Field and Levi Leiter.

[2] However, the next year, Field and Leiter left to join Potter Palmer in what would become Marshall Field & Co.[3][4] Farwell's dry goods house then became known as John V. Farwell & Co.[1] The company survived the 1871 Great Chicago Fire and was officially incorporated in 1891, when charge of the company was turned over to his sons.

[5] During the Civil War, Farwell was President of the Chicago Branch of the United States Christian Commission.