Joseph Paul Franklin (born 1950) is an American serial killer. Between 1977 and 1980 he killed at least twenty people. He has confessed to the shooting of magazine publisher Larry Flynt, although he has never been convicted of the crime.

He was born James Clayton Vaughn, in Mobile, Alabama. In 1976 he changed his name to Joseph Paul Franklin. He selected Joseph Paul in honor of Nazi Paul Joseph Goebbels and Franklin after US founding father, Benjamin Franklin.

He hated African Americans and didn't think they should mix with Caucasians. On one occasion he threatened to kill President Carter for his pro-Civil Rights views. He was a master escapist and managed to elude law enforcement for a long time. He was eventually caught when a nurse taking the blood he was selling recognised an American eagle tattoo on his arm. He had figured it would be safer for a man on the run to sell his blood than to steal. He proved wrong.

He continued to attempt escape to the very end: when the jury at his trial were taking their lunch break, he managed to flee into an air duct. He was again caught.