James Joseph Carlton AO (13 May 1935 – 24 December 2015) was an Australian businessman, politician, and humanitarian.

Carlton was born in Sydney and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney.^[1]

Carlton’s political career began at the Sydney University Liberal Club, of which he later became president. He succeeded Sir John Carrick as General Secretary of the NSW Liberal Party during the McMahon – Snedden – Fraser periods.^[2]

From 1994 to 2001, Carlton was Secretary General of the Australian Red Cross,^[3][4] receiving the Red Cross Movement's highest honour, the Henry Dunant Medal. As a founder of the Crossroads Group^[5] together with John Hyde and Peter Shack he was influential in establishing the free-market or 'dry' cause in the Parliamentary wing of the Australian Liberal Party.^[6] He served on the boards of the PNG Sustainable Development Program^[7] and the Australia New Zealand School of Government.^[8] Additionally he was a Professional Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne, and a Senior Adviser with the Boston Consulting Group,^[9] and was a council member of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.^[10]

In January 2001, Carlton was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal;^[11] and in June that year, was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to Australian society.^[12]