[1] Charlton was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and studied law at Yale University as a classmate of future President William Howard Taft and Puerto Rico Governor William H. Hunt.
Charlton practiced law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prior to his two years on the bench, he served as legal counsel for the War Department's Bureau of Insular Affairs, which was responsible for the U.S. Government's administration of Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
Charlton was appointed as the federal judge in Puerto Rico by President Taft in 1911.
Paul Charlton died in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico following surgery for a carbuncle.