John Read may refer to:

• John Read (Mississippi politician) (born 1941), member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
• John Read (Connecticut politician) (1633–1730), member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk
• John Read (Australian politician) (born 1939), member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
• John Read (New Zealand politician) (1874–1942), local body politician and trade unionist
• J. Meredith Read (1837–1896), United States diplomat
• John Kingsley Read (1936–1985), chairman of the British National Front and a founder of the National Party
• John Milton Read (1842–1881), American printer and politician

• John Read (pirate) (fl. 1683–1688), British privateer, buccaneer, and pirate
• John Read (chemist) (1884–1963), British chemist
• John M. Read (1797–1874), American lawyer
• John Read (British Army officer) (1917–1987)
• John Read (businessman) (1918–2015), British businessman
• John Read (lawyer) (1769–1854), United States lawyer and banker
• John Read (producer) (1920–2006), collaborator with Gerry Anderson
• John Read (surgeon) (fl. 1588), English medical writer
• John Read (art film maker) (1923–2011), producer of art documentaries for the BBC from 1951 to 1983
• John Read (psychologist), psychologist and mental health researcher
• John Read (skier) (born 1961), British Olympic skier
• John Erskine Read (1888–1973), Canadian lawyer, academic, civil servant, and judge
• John Read (inventor), inventor who developed a rotating doubler electrostatic generator
• John Dawson Read, English singer-songwriter
• John Read (snooker player), English snooker player
• John Read (bobsleigh) (1926–2000), British bobsledder
• John D. Read (1814–1864), American abolitionist and lay preacher

• Jack Read (coastwatcher) (1905–1992), coastwatcher during World War II
• Jack Read (rugby) (fl. 1925–1936), rugby union and rugby league footballer

• John Reed (disambiguation)
• John Reid (disambiguation)
• John Reade (disambiguation)
• John Rede (disambiguation)