| Charles Cragin | |
| Office: | Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Acting |
| Term Start: | August 4, 1999 |
| Term End: | May 31, 2001 April 12, 1998 - August 3, 1999 |
| President: | Bill Clinton |
| 1Namedata: | William Cohen Donald Rumsfeld |
| Predecessor: | Deborah R. Lee |
| Successor: | Thomas F. Hall |
| Office1: | United States Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Acting |
| President1: | Bill Clinton |
| 1Namedata1: | William Cohen |
| Term Start1: | March 31, 2000 |
| Term End1: | May 23, 2000 |
| Predecessor1: | Rudy de Leon |
| Successor1: | Bernard Rostker |
| Birth Name: | Charles Langmaid Cragin III[1] |
| Office2: | Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals |
| President2: | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| Term Start2: | March 1991 |
| Term End2: | March 1997 |
| Predecessor2: | Kenneth E. Eaton |
| Successor2: | Roger K. Bauer (acting)[2] |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1943 |
| Birth Place: | Portland, Maine |
| Party: | Republican |
| Alma Mater: | University of Maine (BS), (JD) |
| Branch: | United States Navy United States Navy Reserve[3] [4] [5] |
| Serviceyears: | 1961-1964 (active duty) 1964-1998 (reserve) |
Charles Langmaid Cragin III[6] (born October 9, 1943) is an American 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 as 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]
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.
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. For his military service he was awarded the Legion of Merit and many other medals.
From 1964 to 1969 he was an announcer and newsman for WIDE Radio, WPOR Radio, and WSCH Radio & TV. All based in Biddeford and Portland. In 1969 he was a research assistant for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.
From 1969 to 1990 he practiced law with Verrill and Dana in Portland.
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.
After retiring from federal service in 2001, he became a partner in the Washington, DC office of Blank Rome, LLP. In 2003 he joined System Planning Corporation (SPC) of Arlington, Virginia as its Senior Vice President for National Intelligence, Security and Response. He continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the CEO of SPC.
He served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans from 2008 to 2009.[10]
He sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine in 1978 and 1982. He sought the Republican nomination for Attorney General of Maine in 1979.
He was a Republican candidate for Governor of Maine in 1982.