Joel Foster (December 15, 1814 – August 9, 1885) was an American pioneer farmer, judge and local politician in River Falls, Wisconsin.

His first winter was spent in a walled-in overhang cave below the falls of the river with "Dick" an orphan who had been indentured to the family.

Foster by this means obtained the office and continued to discharge its duties until the 1853 separation of Polk and Pierce counties from St.

[citation needed] Foster was known for his Copper Head Democrat political views and was often the subject of scorn by the local newspaper's Republican editor.

In 1870, Foster was the Democratic nominee for the Pierce County Wisconsin State Assembly seat against Republican incumbent Oliver S. Powell.