John Clarke Young (August 12, 1803 – June 23, 1857) was an American educator, pastor, and academic administrator who served as the fourth president of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. A graduate of Dickinson College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he entered the ministry in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1828. He accepted the presidency of Centre College in 1830, and held that position until his death in 1857, making him the longest-serving president in the college's history. He is regarded by many Centre historians as one of the college's best presidents, as he increased the endowment of the "struggling" college more than five-fold during his term and increased the size of the graduating class from two students in his first year to forty-three in his final year.