John Frederick Giffening (4 February 1787 - 25 September 1851) was a Ceylonese proctor, public notary and politician.

John Frederick Geffening was born on 4 February 1787 in Colombo, Ceylon, the son of Reverend Bernhard Abraham Giffening (1762-1812), the head of the Dutch Reformed Church in Ceylon, and Maria Sophia née Francius (1754-1812). In 1796 the British formally took control of the Dutch colonies in Ceylon, with all the Dutch colonists who agreed to stay signing a treaty of capitulation, which guaranteed they would remain loyal and not defect if the Dutch attempted to re-conquer Ceylon. In 1807 Giffening was appointed as a proctor (a position similar to a solicitor) of the District Court and in 1811 a proctor of the Supreme Court.^[1][2]

He was subsequently appointed as one of the three proctors sitting on the bench of the Supreme Court of Ceylon (known as the Vice Admiralty Court).^[3] He also served on the Board of Examiners for many years, who James de Alwis described as being an old, narrow-minded austere but clever Dutch lawyer.^[4] In 1843 he was appointed as the second unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, representing the Burgher community, replacing J. G. Hillebrand, following the later's appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.^[5][6]

Giffening married Henrietta Matilda Toussaint (1837-?) on 15 September 1858 at Wolvendaal Church.^[7] They had seven children: John Frederick (1859-1929); Edwin Arnold (b.1861); Dorothy Henrietta (b.1863); Peter Bernard Toussaint (1864-1925); Frederica Anna (1866-1938); Julian Theodore Louis (1870-1944); and Georgiana Matilda (c.1877-1944).

He died on 25 September 1851 in Colombo, at the age of 64. Richard Morgan was subsequently appointed to his seat on the Legislative Council.^[5][8]