Dr. Samuel Martin Jordan (1871 – 1952) was an American presbyterian missionary in Persia (Iran).

He is sometimes referred to as the "father of modern education in Iran".

For decades, he was vitally involved in developing Iran’s educational system.
Samuel Jordan is a very larger-than-life character for educated Iranians. He as an American dedicated almost his entire adult life to educating, nurturing and teaching Iranians.

After graduating first from Lafayette College and then from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1898, he moved to Tehran and spent 43 years as a missionary in Iran.

Under his direction, the establishment that later took the name of Alborz High School was upgraded to the American College of Tehran and received a permanent charter from the Board of Regents of the State University of New York in 1932.

He is credited with bringing football, volleyball, basketball and soccer to Iran.

In appreciation of his many services to higher education in Iran, a boulevard in Tehran,
Jordan Boulevard, was named after him.