The next U.S. ambassador to Latvia is to be a former politician from the state of Iowa, President George W. Bush announced Nov. 30. Charles W. Larson Jr. would replace Catherine Todd Bailey, who became ambassador in 2004.

Larson is a lawyer and a partner in Lincoln Strategies Group, a communications and public relations firm in West Des Moines, Iowa. He also is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Larson earlier served terms as state representative and as state senator in the Iowa General Assembly, representing the Cedar Rapids area.

After serving a year in Iraq from 2004-2005, Larson founded Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission, a nonprofit organization that supports the U.S. military’s efforts.

Larson also is a former chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. Like Bailey, he is a Bush Ranger, meaning he raised at least USD 200,000 for the president’s reelection campaign.

He earned his bachelor’s degree and his law degree from the University of Iowa.

The president’s nomination will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.