Charles Jonas Thornton (May 30, 1850 – July 2, 1932) was a political figure in Durham, Ontario.

He also served on Durham West county council for five years.

[1] Thornton first ran for the House of Commons of Canada as a Patrons of Industry candidate in Durham West during the 1896 federal election but fared poorly coming in third place with less than 500 votes.

A by-election was held in January 1902 in which his Liberal opponent defeated Thornton by 12 votes.

Thornton remained in parliament until the 1917 federal election in which he stepped aside so that the wartime Union Government which Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden had formed could run Liberal-Unionist Newton Rowell as a pro-Government candidate.