John F. McLaren is generally numbered as the fourth chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

, then called the Western University of Pennsylvania, serving from 1855 to 1858, although McLaren's official title at the time was "President". McLaren took over the leadership of university following the suspension of its operations in 1849 after, for the second time in less than five years, a major Pittsburgh fire had destroyed the university's buildings, equipment, and records. The university reopened in 1854.