| Office1: | Secretary of State of Kentucky |
| Office2: | Member of the Kentucky General Assembly |
| Order1: | 41st |
| Preceded1: | Ephraim L. Van Winkle |
| Termstart1: | May 24, 1866 |
| Termend1: | September 2, 1867 |
| Succeeded1: | Samuel B. Churchill |
| Term2: | 1861 |
| Birth Date: | 8 March 1829 |
| Birth Place: | Wayne County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Boyle County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Bellevue Cemetery |
| Parents: | Micajah Van Winkle Mary Phillips |
| Spouse: | Mary Buster (m. 1858) Louise Dillon (m. 1867) |
| Party: | Unknown |
| Education: | University of Louisville |
| Governor1: | Thomas E. Bramlette |
John S. Van Winkle (March 8, 1829 – October 28, 1888) was an American attorney and politician who served as Secretary of State of Kentucky from 1866 to 1867. He served as a member of the Kentucky General Assembly in 1861.
John S. Van Winkle was born on March 8, 1829, in Wayne County, Kentucky, to Micajah Van Winkle and Mary Phillips. He received his early education in Monticello, Kentucky. At age eighteen, he found work as a salesman in a store. He attended law school at the University of Louisville.[1] Van Winkle married Mary Buster on January 21, 1858, the couple had no children. After Mary's death, he married Louise Dillon, they had 7 children.[2]
In 1854, Van Winkle was admitted to the Kentucky bar, and began practice as a lawyer in Wayne County. In 1861, he was elected a member of the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1863, he moved to Danville, Kentucky.
On May 24, 1866, Van Winkle was appointed Secretary of State of Kentucky by Governor Thomas E. Bramlette, to fill the unexpired term of his brother Ephraim L. Van Winkle. After he left office, he resumed his work as a lawyer in Danville.
Van Winkle died on October 28, 1888, at the age of 59, in Boyle County, Kentucky. He was interred at Bellevue Cemetery in Danville, Kentucky.