Charles Phelps (politician)

Charles Phelps (born October 21, 1820, Guilford, Vermont; died February 25, 1902, Rockville, Connecticut) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.

Phelps graduated from Yale College in 1840, and subsequently studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1842 and commenced practice in Rockville, Connecticut. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1853, 1854, 1856, 1857, and 1883, serving as speaker in 1856 and 1857. He was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862.

After his term in Congress, Phelps resumed the practice of law. He served as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court from 1873 to 1887 and as a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1887 to 1890. He retired from active pursuits and resided in Rockville, Connecticut, until his death. He was interred in Grove Hill Cemetery.