Chuck Larson
Charles W. 'Chuck' Larson Jr. (born April 1, 1968, in Newton, Iowa) is the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to the Republic of Latvia. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Larson was the Iowa State Senator from the 19th District from 2003–2007, was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1993-2001, and is a former chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. He was succeeded in the Iowa Senate by Democrat Rob Hogg.
Charles W. Larson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Latvia | |
| In office February 12, 2008 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Catherine Todd Bailey |
| Succeeded by | Judith G. Garber |
| Member of the Iowa Senate from the 19th district | |
| In office January 13, 2003 – January 8, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Sheldon L. Rittmer |
| Succeeded by | Rob Hogg |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 55th district | |
| In office January 1993 – January 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Shearer |
| Succeeded by | Clarence Hoffman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Newton, Iowa |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Education | University of Iowa (BA) University of Iowa College of Law (JD) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Website | Larson's website |
During his most recent term of office, Larson served on several committees in the Iowa Senate – the Commerce committee; the Education committee; the Judiciary committee; the Ways and Means committee; and the Ethics committee, where he was co-chair. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Larson to the President's Advisory Commission for Drug Free Communities, on which he continues to serve.
On November 30, 2007, the White House announced that Larson would be nominated to become Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to the Republic of Latvia in 2008, replacing Catherine Todd Bailey.
In May 2008, Latvian President Valdis Zatlers awarded Ambassador Larson the Order of the Three Stars, which is Latvia's highest award for his service to the country.
In June 2009, President Barack Obama announced he was nominating Judith Gail Garber to replace Larson as U.S. Ambassador to Latvia.