Henry Noble MacCracken (1880-1970) was an influential American academic administrator and educator, best known for serving as president of Vassar College from 1915 to 1946, the longest tenure in the college's history and as its first secular president. Born in Toledo, Ohio, MacCracken graduated from New York University in 1900 with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He spent three years teaching at Syrian Protestant College in Beirut, Lebanon, before returning to NYU to earn a master's degree in English in 1904. He then pursued further graduate studies at Harvard University, obtaining a second master's degree and a Ph.D. in English. His academic career was marked by a commitment to progressive education, internationalism, pacifism, and the arts, including scholarship and theater.

As president of Vassar, an all-women's college in Poughkeepsie, New York, MacCracken modernized the institution by expanding its curriculum, improving facilities, and advocating for women's equal educational opportunities. He emphasized the role of colleges in shaping moral and social objectives, fostering a liberal arts environment that prepared students for leadership. In 1926, MacCracken co-founded Sarah Lawrence College as an innovative, progressive alternative to traditional women's education, initially as a junior college affiliated with Vassar before it became independent. His visionary leadership transformed Vassar into a leading liberal arts college and influenced the development of experimental education models.

MacCracken's family included his brother, John Henry MacCracken, who served as president of Lafayette College from 1915 to 1926. Throughout his career, he was recognized as a thespian and scholar, contributing to English literature and educational reform. His legacy endures in the enduring impact on women's higher education in the United States.