David Walker Slater (1921 – February 9, 2010) was a Canadian economist, civil servant and former President of York University. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he received a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1942 from the University of Manitoba. After serving with the Canadian Army in World War II in Europe (and being Mentioned in Dispatches), he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1947 from Queen's University. He received a Master of Arts degree in 1950 and a Ph.D. in 1957 from the University of Chicago. He died in 2010 in Ottawa.