Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872–February 2, 1957) was an American architect. She is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Born in San Francisco, California, she was raised in Oakland. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1894 with a degree in civil engineering. She was the first woman allowed to study architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris; admitted to the Ecole in 1898 after three attempts, she received her certificate in 1902. Her best-known works include the YWCAs in San Francisco's Chinatown and in Oakland, the Mills College Bell Tower, St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, and the Chapel of the Chimes, also in Oakland.

Phoebe Apperson Hearst, mother of William Randolph Hearst, was Julia Morgan's patroness, securing several architectural jobs for her, principally on the UC Berkeley campus. It was because of Phoebe's support for Julia Morgan that William Randolph Hearst selected Morgan as his architect for the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, which was built atop the family campsite overlooking San Simeon harbor. Julia Morgan also designed the North Star House in Grass Valley, CA.