John Paulding (April 5, 1883 – April 15, 1935) was an American sculptor best remembered for his World War I memorials.

Paulding was born in Darke County, Ohio.

He studied sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago and remained in Chicago until his death in 1935 at age 52.

[4] At least two of his World War I memorials became very popular and casts of them can be found in many places throughout the United States.

Paulding and sculptor E. M. Viquesney both produced very similar World War I monuments within a few months of each other, resulting in various copyright violation lawsuits.