John Starkey (circa 1697-1765) was an Onslow County planter and attorney who held various public offices in colonial North Carolina. His county offices included militia colonel (1754), justice of the peace (1734-1765), coroner (1741), chairman of the court of pleas and quarter sessions (1740s-1765), and county treasurer (1759). Starkey additionally held higher level public offices, serving as representative of Onslow County in the General Assembly (1734 & 1738-1765) and treasurer for the Southern District (1750-1765). During his tenure in the Assembly, he served on several committees: propositions and grievances (1746), correspondence (1748), public claims (1749), revision of the laws (1749), and to direct the colonial agent (1758). He introduced fairly progressive legislation for the times, including bills regarding relief for the poor, free public schools, and prevention of the unlawful killing of enslaved people. With Samuel Swann, John Ashe, and George Moore, Starkey formed a powerful political alliance that often found itself in opposition to royal governor Arthur Dobbs.