John Leighton Stuart (1876-1962) was a famous foreign missionary in China. He was engaged in Chinese education undertaking for a long time.

He was born in an American priest's family in Hangzhou City of China in 1876. Growing in China, he studied English, Latin, Math and history from his mother. In 1887 he went back to the United States for further study there and became a priest in 1902 after his theological research in a seminary.

In 1904, he went back to China and toured around in China to do missionary work. In 1908 he was sent to Jinling Seminary in Nanjing and stayed there for 11 years. After that he took charge of Yanjing University in Beijing. He was appointed as US Ambassador to China 1946 and left China in 1949. He died in 1962 in the United States.