Charles Spalding Thomas (December 6, 1849 – June 24, 1934) was a Confederate soldier and later United States senator from Colorado.

Thomas graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1871, and was admitted to the bar the same year.

He was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1884 to 1896, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States House of Representatives in 1884, to the Senate in 1888 and 1895, and to the governorship in 1894.

"[3] After Porter was burned alive by a mob, when Thomas was asked to comment on the lynching, he said, "My opinion is that there is one less negro in the world.

[2] In 1913, Thomas was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1912 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles J. Hughes, Jr.; in 1914, he was narrowly reelected to a full term in the face of split opposition.