James Fulton Zimmerman was an American historian and professor of political science. He was the seventh president of University of New Mexico and played a central role in its development and expansion. He is known in the academic historical world for his research into the subject of American seamen "impressed" into the Royal Navy by the British before and during the War of 1812. He also played an important role in the founding of the New Mexico Coronado Cuarto Centennial Commission, of which he served as its first president.

The University of New Mexico is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, the University of New Mexico (UNM) is the state's second oldest university, the flagship university of the state, and the largest by enrollment, with approximately 23,000 students in 2023.