Frank Palmer Speare (1869 – May 28, 1954) was the first president of Northeastern University, serving from 1898 to 1940.^{[citation needed]} He began the evening program at the Boston YMCA that later became Northeastern. As founding president, he oversaw the launching of the university's evening law school, the now-defunct automobile school, the evening polytechnic schools, the school of commerce and finance, and the co-operative engineering school.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to being an educator, he was also a sailor, farmer, and music enthusiast.^{[citation needed]} He composed songs ("Silver Bay, a Song of Vacation Days") and other music (the "Northeastern March"), plays (Mystic Waters, or The Spirit of Winnipesaukee), and musicals.^{[citation needed]}

• Frank Palmer Speare: Educational Visionary. Parr, Jessica. the online edition of a Northeastern University Libraries exhibition. Boston: Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, 2004. Contains numerous photographs plus biographical information.
• The Frank Palmer Speare papers, 1896-1951 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.