Charles Edward Shannon Jr. (August 31, 1943 – April 5, 2005) was a Massachusetts state senator.

He served as a police officer for 20 years in Lexington, Massachusetts until a heart attack led him to be medically retired from the force.

He was elected as a Republican for the Massachusetts Senate, unseating 6 term Democratic incumbent Salvatore Albano, and was sworn in January 1991.

[1][2] In December 2004, shortly after election to an eighth term, Shannon was diagnosed with leukemia.

Antirejection drugs he took after the transplant caused an adverse reaction, which led to his death from heart failure.