Esther Christian Lawton (born 1910, died 1998) was an American personnel manager and administrator.
Lawton occupied a number of public and private sector positions during her lifetime, most notably becoming the Deputy Director of Personnel for the United States Treasury Department and the first female foreign consultant of the Ford Foundation.
[2][1] In 1942 she switched her role in the government to that of a position classifier, an act which further her career as a specialized personnel manager.
She also began coordinating her efforts with the Ford Foundation, and served as a consultant for the governments of Lebanon and Jordan.
In her retirement, she taught at George Washington University's School of Government and Business Administration.