| Paul W. Foster | |
| Birth Date: | 19 April 1893 |
| Birth Place: | Wakefield, Massachusetts |
| Death Place: | Great Barrington, Massachusetts |
| Occupation: | Newspaper publisher |
| Party: | Republican Party |
| Chairman of the Commission of Administration and Finance | |
| Term Start: | 1942 |
| Term End: | 1945 |
| Predecessor: | Angier Goodwin |
| Successor: | Thomas H. Buckley |
| Title2: | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 5th Berkshire district |
| Term Start2: | 1937 |
| Term End2: | 1942 |
Paul W. Foster (April 19, 1893 – December 11, 1952) was an American newspaper publisher and government official who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and chairman of the state Commission of Administration and Finance.
Foster was born on April 19, 1893, in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Searles High School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.[1]
Foster was the son of newspaper owner and publisher Maitland P. Foster. He began his career with his father's paper, the Littleton Courier. In 1911 he joined the staff of another of his father's papers, the Berkshire Courier. The Fosters also published the Berkshire Gleaner until 1942, when the paper was shut down for financial reasons.[2]
Foster held a number of public offices in Great Barrington. He was a member of the town's finance committee, board of assessors, board of selectmen and was the town tax collector. From 1937 to 1942 he represented the 5th Berkshire district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1942 he was appointed chairman of the state Commission of Administration and Finance by Governor Leverett Saltonstall.[3] He was replaced by Saltonstall's successor, Maurice J. Tobin, in 1945.[4]
After leaving state office, Foster was the executive director of the Berkshire Hills Conference. He died on December 11, 1952, in Great Barrington.[5]