Nathaniel Peffer (Chinese: ??; June 30, 1890 in New York City – April 12, 1964) was an American researcher of Far East problems.
Educated at the University of Chicago, Peffer became a Far Eastern correspondent for the New York Tribune, and lived in China for 25 years.
After invitations to lecture on the Far East to various American universities, he was appointed a lecturer at Columbia University in 1937, associate professor of International Relations there in 1939, and Professor in 1943.