Einar Hovdhaugen (26 February 1908 – 1 July 1996) was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party.

He was born in Ringebu.

He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oppland in 1958, and was re-elected on two occasions. He had previously served as a deputy representative in the periods 1945–1949 and 1954–1957. Hovdhaugen was a member of Ringebu municipality council in the periods 1945–1947 and 1951–1955.

Hovdhaugen was appointed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in 1973. Following the decision to award the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize to Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ, Hovdhaugen resigned from the committee in protest.^[1]

He was the father of the linguist Even Hovdhaugen.