David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist , educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.

Jordan was born in Gainesville, New York, and studied at Cornell University, Butler University, and the Indiana University School of Medicine. In 1885, he was named President of Indiana University, becoming the nation's youngest university president at age 34.In 1891, he became president of Stanford, serving there as president until 1913 and chancellor until his retirement in 1916.