Lemuel Paynter (1788 – August 1, 1863) was an American War of 1812 veteran who served two terms as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1837 to 1841.

Lemuel Paynter was born in Lewes, Delaware. He moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served in the War of 1812 and became major and lieutenant colonel of the Ninety-third Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia.

He served as a member of the board of commissioners of the Southwark district for many years and also served as a president of the board. He was a member of the guardians of the poor and also a school director. He was elected a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1833.

Paynter was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1840. He again served as a member of the board of commissioners of the Southwark district.

He died in Philadelphia in 1863. He was buried in Union Sixth Street Cemetery which was closed in 1971 and his remains were moved to Philadelphia Memorial Park in Frazer, Pennsylvania.

• United States Congress. "Lemuel Paynter (id: P000155)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The Political Graveyard