Charles Austin Beard (November 27, 1874 – September 1, 1948) was a leading American historian and progressive social thinker during the first half of the 20th century. He was a history professor at Columbia University but resigned in 1917 over what he considered the violation of civil liberties in the removal of pacifist Professors Dana and Cattell. Together with his wife, Mary Ritter, he was involved in the founding the New School for Social Research.

In works such as An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913) and Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy (1915), he stressed the part played by economic self interest in the development of American institutions and history. With his wife, Mary Ritter Beard, he authored the classic text book, The Rise of American Civilization (1927).