Charles Cowan (7 June 1801 – 1889) was a Scottish politician and paper-maker.He was the son of Alexander Cowan, papermaker and philanthropist, and Elizabeth Hall, daughter of George Hall a merchant in Crail in Fife. He was the eldest of eleven children, eight of whom survived until adulthood. He followed his father into the paper-making industry.He wrote the article on papermaking for the Encyclopaedia Britannica.