Rodman Wilson Paul (November 6, 1912 – May 15, 1987) was an American historian who taught at the California Institute of Technology.

He was known primarily as a foremost authority on California mining and agricultural Native American history.

Paul was born in Philadelphia and raised near Boston, Massachusetts.

His choice for going there was partly based on an interest he developed in the history of the far West after a trip he took to Arizona to recuperate from an illness.

[3] After retirement in 1972, he continued work as a researcher at the Huntington Library.