John Hoskins Stone (July 17, 1749 – October 5, 1804) was an American planter, soldier, and politician from Charles County, Maryland. During the Revolutionary War he led the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Continental Army. After the war he served in the state legislature and was the seventh Governor from 1794 to 1797.
John was born at his father's plantation of Poynton Manor in Charles County. His family had been prominent since early colonial days when William Stone had served as governor a hundred years before his birth. His parents were David and Elizabeth (Jenifer) Stone. His elder brothers included Thomas (who signed the Declaration of Independence) and Michael (who represented Maryland in the U.S. Congress).
John had been baptized in the Anglican Church. After the split caused by the revolution he was an active Episcopalian. He married Anne Couden in February 1781, and the couple would have six children, five of whom lived to adulthood: Couden, Anne, Elizabeth, Robert Couden, and Thomas.
In 1775, Stone joined the newly organized Maryland Battalion led by Colonel William Smallwood as a Lieutenant. He was soon promoted to Captain of the battalion's first company. The battalion became part of the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Continental Army, and went north to fight in the war. They fought in the Battles of Brooklyn (where Captain Stone was especially distinguished) and White Plains. Then, in late 1776, when Smallwood was promoted to Brigadier General, Stone became the Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment.