Paul Robert Cheesman (May 31, 1921 – November 13, 1991) was an American academic and a professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU).
He received his master's degree in 1965 and doctorate in 1967, both in religious education at Brigham Young University.
Later, as president of the Foster Corporation, Cheesman was heavily involved in Central America, where he developed a collection and strong interest in pre-Columbian archaeology.
[6] His stated desire was to promote Latter-day Saint faith:Archaeological evidences which support The Book of Mormon do not convert, but we would hope that these thought-provoking discoveries might inspire and excite the reader to the point where they would want to study The Book of Mormon with real intent and gain a testimony of its truth.
[9] In New York, Cheesman suffered a massive heart attack and returned to Utah for surgery, when he died in 1991.