James C. Hawthorne (March 12, 1819 – February 15, 1881, commonly known as J.C. Hawthorne) was an American physician and politician in the states of California and Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he was the co-founder of the Oregon Hospital for the Insane in East Portland, Oregon. Hawthorne served in the California Senate and was a member of the Whig Party and later the Democratic Party.