John W. Cravens (born October 1, 1864 in Center Valley, Indiana, died August 10, 1937) was Registar of Indiana University from 1895 to 1936. He served Indiana University for forty-one years; until John Cravens, no man had served Indiana University for so long. He died in 1937 and his funeral was held in the Indiana Memorial Union at Indiana University. In 1959 North Hall was renamed John W. Cravens hall, which today is used as Collins Living-Learning Center.

On October 1, 1864 John William Cravens was born in Center Valley, Indiana. He was one of seven children of William and Sarah Cravens. Cravens began his education in the country schools in Hendricks County before moving to Danville, Indiana. In Danville he attended Danville Community High School and the Central Indiana Normal College, graduating from CINC in 1884. ThaInt same year he co-founded the Danville Gazette with W.A. King, which made him the youngest newspaper editor in the state. In 1885 he left Danville for Bloomington. Cravens quickly started to focus on what he could do to better the town. In 1876 he was made superintendent of Monroe County schools. John was elected clerk of Monroe County Circuit Court in 1890, so he relinquished his job as superintendent. Cravens got married on his birthday in 1891 to a Bloomington native, Emma Lucille Krueger. Two years later he founded the Bloomington World, a newspaper. He was editor of the World until 1906, when he sold the rights to his brother. In 1894 his term as court clerk ended, which allowed him to return to IU as a student. He reentered IU as an undergraduated in 1895. In that very same year he was appointed Registrar by President Joseph Swain.