Joseph Clay (October 16, 1741 – November 15, 1804) was an American military officer and politician from Georgia.

Joseph Clay was born in Beverly, Yorkshire, England, and after immigrating to the United States, settled in Savannah, Georgia in 1760.

During the American Revolution, he served on the local council of safety and was a delegate to the Georgia Provincial Congress in 1775.

He was appointed by the Continental Congress as deputy paymaster general in Georgia with the rank of colonel on August 6, 1777.

Clay was an original trustee of Franklin College, Athens, Ga., which later became the University of Georgia.