John Wilkinson (February 11, 1868 – June 25, 1951) was
an American mechanical engineer, inventor, and businessman. He invented the air-cooled motor which was used in the Franklin (automobile) produced by H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company, where he was chief engineer and designer from 1902 to 1924.
He was born in Syracuse, New York, to recognition, respect, and wealth. His grandfather, John Wilkinson, Sr. (1798–1862), was one of the original pioneers of Upstate, New York. As a young man, Wilkinson, Sr. was a city planner and named the newly incorporated village after Classical Syracuse.