Charles Francis McLaughlin was an American Democratic politician. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, he graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1908 and the law department of Columbia University, New York City in 1910. He was admitted to the bar in 1910 and set up practice in Omaha, Nebraska. He was a special master in Chancery for the Federal Court from 1916 to 1918.

During World War I he served as a captain of the 347th Field Artillery, 91st Division, American Expeditionary Forces, until his discharge, April 30, 1919. He was also a major in the Officers’ Reserve Corps from 1919 to 1921.

In 1920, he became a delegate to the Nebraska constitutional convention. He was elected as a Democrat to the 74th United States Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1935, to January 3, 1943. He was unsuccessful in running for reelection in 1942 to the 78th Congress.

Afterwards, he became a member of the American-Mexican Claims Commission in Washington, D.C., from 1943 to 1947. He was a member of the Indian Claims Commission from April 5, 1947, until November 14, 1949, when he took the oath of office a day later as a United States district judge for the District of Columbia. He became a senior United States district court judge for the District of Columbia on December 31, 1964, and continued to hear cases until June 1974.

He resided in Washington, D.C., where he died on February 5, 1976.