William John Baxter (29 May 1919 – 23 March 1983) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The son of William John Thomas Baxter (1892-1963), and Margaret Josephine Baxter (1888-1972), née Nihill, William John Baxter was born in Werribee, Victoria on 29 May 1919.
His brothers, Kenneth Matthew Patrick Baxter (1917-1959), and Bernard Patrick Baxter (1929-2012), both played with Carlton in the VFL.
He married Olive Lillian Sneezewell (1919-1983) on 23 November 1940.
He served in the Australian Army with the 32nd Battalion.
He died at Werribee, Victoria on 23 March 1983.