Benjamin Joseph Salmon (October 15, 1888 – February 15, 1932) was an American Christian pacifist, Roman Catholic, conscientious objector and outspoken critic of just war theory.

Conscience, my infallible guide, impels me to tell you that prison, death, or both, are infinitely preferable to joining any branch of the Army.Salmon was arrested in January 1918 for refusing to complete a Selective Service questionnaire.

[6] The government claimed that his fast was a symptom of mental illness and sent him to a ward reserved for the "criminally insane" at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 1920.

The fledgling American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) eventually took up his case and post-war public opinion favored the release of conscientious objectors.

[7] Upon his release, Salmon led a quiet life with his family, but his prison ordeal, which included beatings and force-feedings, had permanently damaged his health.

The majority of Catholic Bishops supported President Wilson, citing the just war teaching of the Church, and Cardinal John Farley of New York remarked in 1918 that "criticism of the government irritates me.

[10] Decades later, Catholic peace activists, including Fathers Daniel Berrigan and John Dear, cited Salmon as an inspiration for their anti-war beliefs.