Giovanni Cantoni (31 December 1818 – 15 July 1897) was an Italian physicist and political figure.
He taught at the University of Pavia, where Carlo Marangoni was among his students, and headed the Italian metrological service from 1865–1878.
In 1848, he participated in the Five Days of Milan and directed the secretary of defense committee for the provisional government of Lombardy. In 1872, he became a member of the Accademia dei Lincei.[1]