John Francis Alexander Sanford[1] (1806–1857) was a frontiersman of the American west who worked with Native American tribes as an Indian agent. He later joined Pierre Chouteau Jr. in a fur trapping and trading business. He extended his interests into other areas of commerce and became very wealthy. In the final years of his life he was involved with the landmark court case of Dred Scott v. Sandford [sic], which is perhaps what he is best known for today. He suffered mental illness and died in an asylum.