John Moran Bailey (November 23, 1904 – April 10, 1975) was an American politician who played a major role in promoting the New Deal coalition of the Democratic Party and its liberal policy positions.

He typically had a decisive voice in selecting the party's candidates for top offices and in coordinating Democrats in the state legislature.

John M Bailey, was one of the proud founders of the Young Democrats of America, serving as a national officer in 1935 from Connecticut, an organization which was crafted from the Presidential Candidacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933.

From his office in Hartford two blocks from the State Capitol, he coordinated and controlled statewide election campaigns and the activities of the Connecticut General Assembly.

Bailey's tenure as head of the Connecticut Democratic party was credited with turning the state from one politically dominated by WASP Yankee Republicans to one dominated by Democratic candidates of Roman Catholic and Jewish background, such as Abraham Ribicoff, Thomas Dodd, John Dempsey, and Ella T. Grasso.

Many of Bailey's grandsons went on to have politically oriented careers: John Moran Bailey II is currently the Director of Government and Community Affairs for a nonprofit, SINA Inc., Justin Kronholm, is the former executive director of the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee, and John B. Kennelly was previously elected to Hartford Court of Common Council and was an early rival to Hartford mayor Eddie Perez.