John Welles Wilder Jr. (June 11, 1935 – April 18, 2021) was an American mechanical engineer, turned real estate developer.
After serving in the Korean War in the US Navy, Wilder attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1962.
After a successful real estate practice, he founded Trend Research LTD, and its primary subsidiary, The Delta Society.
Wilder and his wife Dawn retired and relocated to Christchurch, New Zealand in October 1999, becoming dual citizens shortly thereafter.
In 2020, Wilder was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease, having shown symptoms for the better part of the 2010's.