Jesse David Jennings (July 7, 1909 – August 13, 1997) was an American archaeologist and anthropologist and founding director of the Natural History Museum of Utah. Based at the University of Utah, Jennings is best known for his work on desert west prehistory and his excavation of Danger Cave near Utah's Great Salt Lake. Considered an exacting academic scholar and author, he was known for conducting systematic excavations with order and cleanliness.
Jennings was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on July 7, 1909, and grew up in New Mexico. He began his professional studies at the University of Chicago. In 1935, he married Jane Chase in Washington, D.C. The couple had two sons, David and Herbert. He served in World War II as a naval officer in the North Atlantic. Jennings died in his home in Siletz, Oregon, on August 13, 1997.