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Charles W. Larson, Jr. is a founding partner of the public affairs firm Larson Shannahan and Slifka Group (LSSG) in West Des Moines Iowa.

Charles Larson was sworn in as Ambassador to Latvia by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on January 7, 2008 and served in this capacity until January 20th, 2009.
Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Larson served from 2003 to 2007 as an Iowa Senator. From 1993-2001, he was a member of the Iowa House.
As a major in the U.S. Army Reserves, Ambassador Larson served for a year in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat and the Combat Action Badge. As a result of this combat tour, Ambassador Larson wrote, Heroes Among Us, which profiles 29 heroes from the War on Terrorism. It was released in January, 2008 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Ambassador Larson prosecuted as an assistant county attorney in Jones County, Iowa from 1997 to 1999. He was then named General Counsel for the ESCO Group, Marion, IA � a technology services firm with more than 250 employees. He served in this capacity until 2006. He was also Chairman of the Iowa Republican Party from 2001-2005.
Ambassador Larson is a 1992 graduate of the University of Iowa, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. He graduated with honors and distinction and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honors society. He received his Juris Doctorate degree with distinction in 1996 from the University of Iowa College of Law.