Sir John Carruthers Beattie FRSE (21 November 1866 – 10 June 1946) was the first principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town (1918–1937). Beattie was born in Waterbeck, Scotland. He graduated from Edinburgh University having studied at Munich, Vienna, Berlin and Glasgow. Soon afterwards he was appointed Professor of Applied Mathematics and Experimental Physics at South African College in Cape Town. He married Elizabeth Paton in 1898. They had two daughters and a son. Their son was killed while serving with the Royal Air Force in 1942. For his contributions to education in South Africa, he was knighted in 1920. He died in Cape Town.