John Wear Burton (2 March 1915 – 23 June 2010) was an Australian public servant, high commissioner and academic.

[6] At the beginning of 1951 he took up the position of Australian High Commissioner to Ceylon,[7] but resigned to return home and contest the Federal election of that year in the electorate of Lowe.

As the Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate he was beaten by William McMahon, a future Prime Minister of Australia.

[10]: 14  Burton's view was that conflicts often emerge where there are social inequalities and barriers to people's needs for identity and participation.

In Australia, Burton's work greatly influenced the pioneering course in conflict resolution at Macquarie University, Sydney.