Charles Caldwell (May 14, 1772 – July 9, 1853) was an American physician who is best known for starting what would become the University of Louisville School of Medicine and is one of the earliest proponents of Polygenism in the United States.

Caldwell practiced medicine in Philadelphia and was a lecturer at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1821, he became a Francophile and convinced the Kentucky General Assembly to purchase $10,000 (~$305,675 in 2023) worth of science and medical books from France, many of which are still held at the university.

[4] Caldwell was one of the earlier of the U.S. physicians who argued for polygenism; his work was subsequently cited by Josiah Nott in Types of Mankind,[5] and he was followed by physicians such as Samuel Henry Dickson and John Edwards Holbrook.

Caldwell used his theories to defend the institution of slavery in the United States and owned domestic slaves himself.