James Alfred Dunn Podd (March 16, 1855 – December 23, 1886) was a leading Baptist preacher in Chicago, Illinois. Podd was born in Nevis, West Indies on March 16, 1855. Podd's father was a leading minister in the Wesleyan Methodist Church. As a boy, he and his family moved to the Island of St. Christopher. Podd went to England for his studies. Upon completion, he returned to the West Indies where he received a government appointment in the department of education. He rose to the position of superintendent of schools for the island. He also worked as an editor of a journal on the island. When his mother died, he felt called to another path and moved to Canada, where he entered the ministry of the British Methodist Episcopal Church. He left this church, converting to the Baptist religion and