Walter Tenney Carleton (24 December 1867 – 6 July 1900) was an early international businessman.

He was one of the three founding directors of NEC Corporation, the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital.

Walter married Enriqueta Navarro D'Hamel 31 December 1895 at St. John's church, Brooklyn.

Their only son, Charles Dubois Carleton was born 7 January 1899 in Yokohama Japan, where Walter and Enriqueta had traveled on business with Western Electric.

Walter joined Iwadare and Takeshiro Maeda as one of the three founding directors of NEC Corporation in 1899.

He had developed appendicitis, and subsequently died during a difficult operation at Hale hospital on 6 July 1900 in Haverhill, Massachusetts.