Charles Dunn (December 28, 1799 – April 7, 1872) was an American lawyer, judge, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the only chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Wisconsin Territory. After Wisconsin became a state he served four years in the Wisconsin Senate. He is the namesake of Dunn County, Wisconsin. His daughter, Catherine, was married to Wisconsin's first state governor, Nelson Dewey.
In 1836, President Andrew Jackson appointed Dunn to the Wisconsin Territorial Supreme Court and he served as chief justice of the court until Wisconsin was admitted to the union on May 29, 1848. Among other cases, Dunn presided at Mineral Point in the murder trial of William Caffey in 1842. Caffey was defended by Moses R. Strong, and despite a colorable self-defence plea, Caffey was convicted and hanged near the spot where the railroad station later would stand. It is said to be the last hanging in Wisconsin, and Caffey's ghost is said to frequent the nearby Walker House hotel.
Charles Dunn married Mary E. Shrader in 1821. They had at least six children, but only two survived to adulthood. Their daughter Catherine married Nelson Dewey, the first Governor of Wisconsin, during his first term as governor.[3][4]
