Charles J. Colden (August 24, 1870 – April 15, 1938) was a politician who served on the Los Angeles City Council and from 1933 to 1938 as a member of the U.S. Congress.

[1] Colden took a vacation tour of the West in 1912 and "was attracted to the possibilities" of the Los Angeles harbor in San Pedro and soon settled there,[2] continuing in the real estate and building business.

While on the commission, he worked vigorously for the Harbor Belt Line that linked all the port facilities via rail.

[3] In January 1925, Edgar McKee, former president of the harbor board, filed suit against Colden, charging him with "having conspired .

Colden did not run in the 1929 election, noting his disappointment that the city had chosen to purchase "an airport and the classification yards at the harbor" when "These projects might have been [better] promoted by the beneficiaries and by private enterprise.

"[8] Colden was elected to Congress as a Democrat from California's 17th district and served from March 4, 1933, until his death in 1938.

The Charles J. Colden (hull number 2691) was one of the type EC2-S-C1 Liberty ships built by Permanente Metals Yard No.