Charles Elwood Mendenhall (1872–1935) was an American physicist and academic administrator. He spent the majority of his career at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he served as a professor of physics and chaired the physics department.
Mendenhall's research focused on electrical measurements and standardization, as well as the photoelectric effect. He was instrumental in developing the physics curriculum and graduate program at Wisconsin. He served as the president of the American Physical Society in 1924 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1926. He also contributed to national scientific efforts during World War I.
