Charles Stillman (November 4, 1810 – December 18, 1875) was the founder of Brownsville, Texas, and was part owner of a successful river boat company on the Rio Grande.

He was involved in cotton brokerage and real estate in addition to silver mines in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

Stillman had bought large pieces of land north and northeast of Matamoros from the heirs of José Narciso Cavazos.

The transport company bought up the Government's surplus steam boats which were used to ferry U.S. forces and supplies up the river, from the seaport Los Brazos de Santiago, just 8 miles up the coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande.

Since Mexico was a neutral country American ships blockading the Texas Coast could not board Stillman's steamboats.

Stillman, King and Kenedy arranged for bales of cotton to be sent to Brownsville where it was ferried across the Rio Grande to Matamoros.

[3] Charles Stillman is believed to have named the first three streets in Brownsville after himself, his wife Elizabeth and his father Francis.