Charles Anthon (November 19, 1797 – July 29, 1867) was an American classical scholar, born in New York City.

After graduating with honors at Columbia College in 1815, he began the study of law, and in 1819 was admitted to the bar, but never practiced. In 1820 he was appointed assistant professor of Greek and Latin in his old college, full professor ten years later, and at the same time headmaster of the grammar school attached to the college, which post he held until 1864.

He produced, for use in colleges and schools, a large number of classical works, which enjoyed great popularity, although his editions of classical authors were by no means in favor with schoolmasters, owing to the large amount of assistance, especially translations, contained in the notes. He also wrote A Manual of Greek Literature from the Earliest Authentic Periods to the Close of Byzantine Era providing a list of all Greek writers in that period, with a summary of their life and works and a bibliography of editions then in use. The overview is still useful today, but outdated. His intention to provide a similar volume for Latin Literature was never fulfilled.

Charles Anthon is famous among members of the Latter Day Saint movement because of his interactions with Martin Harris concerning a fraction of Joseph Smith's translation of the Golden Plates. According to Harris, Anthon wrote Harris a letter of authenticity declaring the Golden Plates to be "reformed Egyptian" but then tore it up. However, Anthon later wrote two letters to acquaintances describing his encounter with Harris, in which he claims that the Golden Plates were a mishmash of Greek and Hebrew, with a crude reproduction of an Aztec calendar at the bottom. Anthon also wrote in both these letters that he believed Smith to be a con man. In the first letter, he claims that he wrote a letter for Harris explaining that the characters were nonsensical and meaningless (which Harris or Smith, presumably, would have torn up by themselves). In the other letter, he denies having ever written a certificate of authenticity. Mormons see these two accounts as contradictory and claim their summary of the events has been verified by history.

Dr. Anthon's work was carried on by his successor, Henry Drisler.

* * Charles Anthon, A Manual of Greek Literature from the Earliest Authentic Periods to the Close of Byzantine Era (1853). (Available at Google books).

* http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/anthonletter.htm * http://thedigitalvoice.com/enigma/essays/AAffair1.htm * http://www.mlloyd.org/gen/navarre/text/anthon.htm