John Paulding (1758-February 18, 1818) is famous for the capture of the British spy Major John André in 1780, during the American Revolution.

Paulding was born in New York City in 1758. He served throughout the war of the Revolution, and was three times taken prisoner by the British.

André was on a mission carrying secret papers from Benedict Arnold when he was stopped by an armed patrol consisting of Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. Believing them to be Tories, André told them he was a British officer who must not be detained, when, to his surprise, they said they were Americans, and that he was their prisoner. He then told them that he was an American officer, and showed them his passport. But the suspicions of his captors were now aroused, and they searched him and found Arnold's papers in his stocking. André offered them his horse, watch, and 100 guineas, if they would let him go, but they were not to be bribed.

General George Washington sought out the three men who, "leaning only on their virtue and an honest sense of their duty," could not be tempted by gold. On his recommendation the United States Congress gave Paulding and each of his compatriots each a pension of $200 a year and a silver medal, known as the Fidelity Medallion. Paulding was also honored in the name of a county in Ohio and by an 1853 monument erected at the place of the capture.

Paulding died in Staastburg, Dutchess County, New York. Paulding's son Hiram Paulding became a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.