John Calloway Walton (March 6, 1881 – November 25, 1949) was an American politician and the 5th Governor of Oklahoma, serving the shortest tenure.

Following his removal from office, he entered the primary for a seat in the United States Senate, winning the Democratic nomination, but losing to William B. Pine, a Republican.

[3] Following his discharge from the Army in 1903, Walton traveled to Oklahoma Territory to make his life as a contractor in the field of civil engineering.

Two years later Walton, known for very active campaigning and bringing a jazz band to his events, was elected as the Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1919.

On July 19, 1921, Walton declared that he had information that fifty per cent of the members of the Oklahoma City police department belonged to the Ku Klux Klan.

His efforts earned him the support of the Socialist Party of Oklahoma, the Farmer-Labor Reconstruction League, and other farmer and labor organizations.

[2] In 1922 the Farmer-Labor Reconstruction League's George Wilson and the Socialist Party of Oklahoma faction led by Patrick S. Nagle organized the 1922 Shawnee Convention during the Oklahoma State Federation of Labor's annual conference to create an 18-point platform, similar to North Dakota's Non-Partisan League's platform.

[2] Walton later lost the support of his populist and progressive allies when he purchased a personal mansion in Oklahoma City and a second home in Muskogee with financial backing from oilman, and future governor, E. W. Marland.

[11] On June 26, 1923, Walton declared martial law in Okmulgee County in order to crack down on reports of mob violence from the Ku Klux Klan.

[2] He deployed 400 Oklahoma National Guard troops to the county for three days, with a small contingent occupying Henryetta until July 10.

[12] The assault led Walton to institute martial law again, this time in Tulsa County, on August 14 after no arrests were made.

[13] General Baird H. Markham led 150 Oklahoma National Guard troops into Tulsa and began investigating mob violence in the city.

[17] The Oklahoma Constitution strictly forbade any member of the state government from suspending habeas corpus and the legislature was outraged by Governor Walton's move to do so in Tulsa County.

[16] On the September 20, William Dalton McBee organized a meeting of 64 other Oklahoma legislators at the Skirvin Hotel where they issued a proclamation, modeled off the Declaration of Independence, announcing their intention to convene a special session of the Oklahoma Legislature despite lacking constitutional authority to call their own special session on the 26th.

[18] Following the announcement of the creation of the grand jury, on September 23, 1923, Walton declared "absolute martial law" for the entire state to prevent a "klan conspiracy.

[18] That day, 68 members of the legislator showed up for the special session and were dispersed by national guardsmen from the capitol, forcing them to return to the Skirvin Hotel.

[20] On September 28 Oklahoma Secretary of State Richard A. Sneed ruled a petition amendment to allow the legislature to meet would be scheduled for October 2.

Walton offered to resign in exchange for the legislature passing anti-Klan legislation and called an October 11 special session.

Of the House's twenty-two charges, eleven were sustained, including "illegal collection of campaign funds, padding the public payroll, suspension of habeas corpus, excessive use of the pardon power, and general incompetence."

Leading Democrats in the state responded by enacting a ranked-choice voting scheme that required voters to support second and third choices in order for their ballots to count, a provision that resulted in the primary electoral system being ruled unconstitutional[by whom?].