John Quinn Brisben (September 6, 1934 – April 17, 2012) was an American teacher, author, and political activist from Chicago, Illinois.

[11] Brisben took part in the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964—where he was briefly jailed—and in several Southern Christian Leadership Conference-sponsored activities in Alabama from 1965 to 1967.

As a student at the University of Oklahoma in the 1950s, Brisben was once physically attacked[2] for being the first white member[7] of the local NAACP chapter.

In July 1990, he and Andrea helped smuggle 3,000 condoms[7] donated by ACT-UP Chicago to the Moscow Lesbian and Gay Union.

[12] Brisben was Frank P. Zeidler's vice presidential running mate in 1976 for the Socialist Party USA.

The Miami Herald reported that Brisben traveled via Amtrak across the country speaking to small groups of socialists.

[17] The Brisben−Garson ticket appeared on the ballots of Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia;[1] ultimately, they received 3,071 votes.

[2] Andrea founded Changing Woman Designs, a needlepoint pattern company, in 1991[6] which she ran until her death on August 5, 2016.