[2] Charlton married Hannah Elizabeth Breeze on 30 September 1850 at St Mary-at-Lambeth, Surrey, and the couple emigrated to Australia.
[2] Charlton was elected member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Ripon, Hampden, Grenville and Polwarth in December 1853, a position he held until he resigned in September 1854.
[3] The resignation was probably linked to his insolvency proceedings in November 1854 as Members of Parliament could not be bankrupt.
[4] Charlton became a surveyor, he laid out and named the town of Bundaberg in Queensland in 1870.
[2] He was also editor of The Queensland Times using the name John Charlton Thompson.