LeBaron Russell Briggs (December 11, 1855 – April 24, 1934)^[1] was an American educator. He was appointed the first dean of men at Harvard College, and subsequently served as dean of the faculty until he retired. He was concurrently president of Radcliffe College and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.^[2]

Briggs was born in Salem, Massachusetts on December 11, 1855. He was the son of Unitarian minister George Ware Briggs and Lucia Jane (née Russell) Briggs.^[1] Among his siblings was brother George Russell Briggs.

He received A.B. (in 1875) and A.M. degrees (in 1882) from Harvard University.^[3]

After graduating from Harvard, he began teaching there; he began as a Greek tutor before moving to English, eventually becoming the Boylston Professor of Rhetoric from 1904 until 1925.^[4]

Briggs was appointed dean of Harvard College in 1891 (to 1902) and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1902 until his retirement in 1925. His appointment as dean of men was the first "student personnel" appointment, which later became the catalyst for the Student Affairs field in higher education. Briggs was responsible for advising students academically, and on personal issues. "His fairness in dealing with the Faculty and students alike, his patience in dealing with erring undergraduates, and his always kindly humor endeared him to everyone," wrote George Henry Chase.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

In 1883, Briggs was married to Mary Frances De Quedville (b. 1862) of Cambridge. Together, they were the parents of three children:^[1]

• John DeQuedville Briggs (1885–1965), who married Marjorie Scott Winslow (1900–1994), daughter of William Herman Winslow, in 1925.^[10][11]
• Lucia Russell Briggs (1887–1960), who served as president of Milwaukee-Downer College for thirty years.^[12]
• LeBaron Russell Briggs Jr. (1895–1972), who married Elizabeth Mason.^[13]

Briggs died on April 24, 1934, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the home of his daughter Lucia.^[1] He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Plymouth, Massachusetts,^[14] where he had a summer home.^[1]