Herman Theodoor Colenbrander (13 December 1871 in Drachten – 8 October 1945 in Leiden) was a Dutch historian, the first director of the Commissie van Advies voor 's Rijks Geschiedkundige Publicatiën, which has become the Institute of Dutch History.^[1]

In 1908 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.^[2]

Between 1918 and 1925 he worked as a History professor at Leiden University, where his subject was "The history of the Dutch East Indies and history of Method in (christian) Mission" (de "geschiedenis van Nederlandsch-Indië en de geschiedenis van de methode der zending"). In 1925 the university promoted him to the Professorship in National History.