Walter Paul Helmke, Jr. (born 1948) is a U.S. politician, and president of the Washington, DC-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a position he has held since July 1, 2006. He is a former mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana and a former president of The United States Conference of Mayors.

Mayor Helmke is a graduate of Fort Wayne's North Side High School, Indiana University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and of the Yale Law School. While at Indiana University, he was elected President of the Student Body. Helmke attended Yale at the same time that former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton and was an acquaintance of each.

Helmke defeated Democratic incumbent Mayor Winfield C. Moses, Jr. in 1987. Helmke won re-election in 1991 and 1995. He did not seek re-election in 1999.