Walter Henry Cleary (November 17, 1887 – April 12, 1974) was a Vermont attorney and judge.

[1] A Republican, from 1916 to 1934 he was a U.S. Commissioner, empowered to conduct initial hearings on cases including illegal entry into the United States and Prohibition Amendment violations.

[3] He was a longtime member of St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Newport.

Cleary was also active in the Knights of Columbus, and held several leadership roles at the local and state level.

[1][4] In 1948, Cleary was appointed an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, replacing Allen R. Sturtevant, who had retired.

[1][3] They were the parents of a son, John McArthur Cleary (1918-1984), an editorial writer for the Hartford Times, and a daughter, Louise Ellen (1920-2006), the wife of Charles Horvath.