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==Political candidacy==
==Political candidacy==
Cragin sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine in 1978 and 1982.<ref name="CH" /> after finishing second in the 1978 Republican gubernatorial primary <ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=655526}}</ref>, Republican members of the Maine Legislature nominated him for Attorney General. Cragin expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest as a result of his law firm's extensive legal practice across Maine. The Maine Legislature requested an opinion from the Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court seeking to clarify whether Cragin's association with the law firm, Verrill Dana, LLP, would pose any legal issues if he were elected Attorney General. The Justices declined to answer the question, and Cragin withdrew his candidacy. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Opinion of the Justices, 396 A.2d 219 (1979) |url=https://casetext.com/case/opinion-of-the-justices-520}}</ref>
Cragin sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine in 1978 and 1982.<ref name="CH" /> After finishing second in the 1978 Republican gubernatorial primary <ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=655526}}</ref>, Republican members of the Maine Legislature nominated him for Attorney General. Cragin expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest as a result of his law firm's extensive legal practice across Maine. The Maine Legislature requested an opinion from the Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court seeking to clarify whether Cragin's association with the law firm, Verrill Dana, LLP, would pose any legal issues if he were elected Attorney General. The Justices declined to answer the question, and Cragin withdrew his candidacy. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Opinion of the Justices, 396 A.2d 219 (1979) |url=https://casetext.com/case/opinion-of-the-justices-520}}</ref>


In 1982, Cragin again sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine. In a three-way contested primary, he received his party's nomination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=735662}}</ref> He was defeated in the general election by the Democrat incumbent, Joseph Brennan, by a vote tally of 281,066 to 172,949. <ref>{{Cite web |title=1982 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Maine |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=23&year=1982&off=5&elect=0}}</ref>
In 1982, Cragin again sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine. In a three-way contested primary, he received his party's nomination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=735662}}</ref> He was defeated in the general election by the Democrat incumbent, Joseph Brennan, by a vote tally of 281,066 to 172,949. <ref>{{Cite web |title=1982 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Maine |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=23&year=1982&off=5&elect=0}}</ref>

Revision as of 21:08, 7 September 2024

Charles Cragin
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
Acting
In office
August 4, 1999 – May 31, 2001
April 12, 1998 - August 3, 1999
PresidentBill Clinton
SecretaryWilliam Cohen
Donald Rumsfeld
Preceded byDeborah R. Lee
Succeeded byThomas F. Hall
United States Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Acting
In office
March 31, 2000 – May 23, 2000
PresidentBill Clinton
SecretaryWilliam Cohen
Preceded byRudy de Leon
Succeeded byBernard Rostker
Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals
In office
March 1991 – March 1997
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Preceded byKenneth E. Eaton
Succeeded byRoger K. Bauer (acting)[1]
Personal details
Born
Charles Langmaid Cragin III[2]

(1943-10-09) October 9, 1943 (age 81)[2]
Portland, Maine[2]
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Maine (BS), (JD)
AwardsLegion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Navy Meritorious Service Medal (2)
Navy Commendation Medal (2)
Army Commendation Medal
Navy Expeditionary Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Navy Good Conduct Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
United States Navy Reserve[3][4][5]
Years of service1961-1964 (active duty)
1964-1998 (reserve)
RankCaptain

Charles Langmaid Cragin III[6] (born October 9, 1943) is an American attorney and politician from Maine. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Maine in 1982, losing in a landslide to Democratic incumbent Gov. Joseph E. Brennan. Afterwards, Cragin was a Republican National Committee member from Maine from 1983 to 1990,[7] and acting U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in 2000.[8]

Cragin also was the first Senate-confirmed chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals in the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.[9]

Education

He received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Maine in 1967 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law in 1970.[4]

Military service

He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1961 and was on active duty and in the Navy Reserve until his retirement as a Captain in 1998. In 2020,Cragin wrote of his experiences as a young Sailor aboard USNS Sergeant Joseph T. Muller (T-AG-171), an electronic intelligence ship, whose mission had previously been classified Top Secret code word UMBRA. [10][11]

For his military service he was awarded the Legion of Merit and many other medals.

Early career

From 1964 to 1969 he was an announcer and newsman for WIDE Radio, WPOR Radio, and WSCH Radio & TV.[4] All based in Biddeford and Portland.[4] In 1969 he was a research assistant for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.[4]

Cragin was admitted to practice before the Courts of Maine and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine in 1970. From 1970 to 1990 he practiced law with Verrill and Dana in Portland, Maine.[4] In 1974, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1979 he was admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and and before the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals.[12]

Federal service

In 1990, he was nominated by President George H. W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate in 1991 as Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He later served in several senior capacities in the Department of Defense including Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness (2000), Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Personnel & Readiness, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (1998-2001), and Acting Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Civil Support.[5]

Later career

After retiring from federal service in 2001, he became a partner in the Washington, DC office of Blank Rome, LLP.[5] In 2003 he joined System Planning Corporation (SPC) of Arlington, Virginia as its Senior Vice President for National Intelligence, Security and Response.[5]

He served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans from 2008 to 2009.[13]

Political candidacy

Cragin sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine in 1978 and 1982.[4] After finishing second in the 1978 Republican gubernatorial primary [14], Republican members of the Maine Legislature nominated him for Attorney General. Cragin expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest as a result of his law firm's extensive legal practice across Maine. The Maine Legislature requested an opinion from the Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court seeking to clarify whether Cragin's association with the law firm, Verrill Dana, LLP, would pose any legal issues if he were elected Attorney General. The Justices declined to answer the question, and Cragin withdrew his candidacy. [15]

In 1982, Cragin again sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine. In a three-way contested primary, he received his party's nomination.[16] He was defeated in the general election by the Democrat incumbent, Joseph Brennan, by a vote tally of 281,066 to 172,949. [17]

Cragin served as Chairman of the Budget Committee of the Republican National Committee for many years.[18] He served as Chief Sergeant-at-Arms at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.[19]

References

  1. ^ The United States Government Manual (1997-1998)
  2. ^ a b c Nomination of Charles L. Cragin : hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, first session, on the nomination of Charles L. Cragin to be chairman of the Board of Veterans Appeals, Department of Veterans Affairs, February 19, 1991, page 16
  3. ^ The Honorable Charles L. Cragin
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Nomination of Charles L. Cragin : hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, first session, on the nomination of Charles L. Cragin to be chairman of the Board of Veterans Appeals, Department of Veterans Affairs, February 19, 1991, pages 16-23
  5. ^ a b c d Veterans Affairs Official's bios
  6. ^ University of Maine in Portland and University of Maine School of Law Commencement Program 1970
  7. ^ "Maine Street Solutions Senior Government Affairs Counselor". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  8. ^ "COMMITTEE MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES" (PDF). U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  9. ^ "PN9-3 — Charles L. Cragin — Department of Veterans Affairs". 102nd United States Congress. 28 February 1991. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  10. ^ "The return of an intelligence code word with a storied history".
  11. ^ [chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.navycthistory.com/pdf/MullerRecollections.pdf "A Sailor's Recollections of USNS Muller (T-AG-171)"] (PDF). {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  12. ^ "Martindale".
  13. ^ Hon. Charles L. Cragin
  14. ^ "Our Campaigns".
  15. ^ "Opinion of the Justices, 396 A.2d 219 (1979)".
  16. ^ "Our Campaigns".
  17. ^ "1982 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Maine".
  18. ^ [chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.va.gov/gulfwaradvisorycommittee/docs/GWACmembers-bios.pdf "Committee Member Biographies"] (PDF). {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  19. ^ "1988 Republican National Convention Proceedings".
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Maine
1982 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by United States Under Secretary of Defense
for Personnel and Readiness
Acting
March 31, 2000 – May 23, 2000 		Succeeded by
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