Oliver Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney (born 27 February 1938) is the son of Frederick Oliver St John whose parents were Sir Frederic Robert and Lady St. John (née Isabella Annie FitzMaurice). He is a retired Canadian political scientist and Scottish peer. He was a lecturer at University College London, England, before moving to the University of Manitoba, Canada, where he rose to become professor of political studies. He retired from academia in 1998, the year he succeeded to the Earldom of Orkney, and was appointed a senior scholar by Manitoba.