Thomas Hanson Paynter (December 9, 1851 – March 8, 1921) was a United States Senator and Representative from Kentucky.

Born on a farm near Vanceburg, Kentucky, Paynter attended the common schools, Rand's Academy, and Centre College.

Paynter was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1889, until January 5, 1895.

There he served as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department.

After his career in politics, he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky in 1913 to continue the practice of law and follow agricultural pursuits.