Charles A. Blanchard is a United States lawyer who served as General Counsel of the Army from 1999 to 2001, and who has served as General Counsel of the Air Force from 2009 to present.
Charles A. Blanchard was educated at Lewis & Clark College, receiving a B.S. in Chemistry in 1981. He then attended the Harvard Law School / John F. Kennedy School of Government and received a J.D. and an M.P.P. in 1985. He then spent 1985-86 as law clerk to Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He then clerked for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor of the Supreme Court of the United States for the 1986-87 term.
In 1987, Blanchard joined the United States Office of the Independent Counsel as an Associate Independent Counsel. The next year, he joined the law firm of Perkins Coie as a partner in Perkins Coie's office in Phoenix, Arizona.
Blanchard left Perkins Coie in 1997 to become Chief Legal Counsel of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In 1999, President of the United States Bill Clinton nominated him to be General Counsel of the Army and he subsequently held that office from 1999 to 2001. He then returned to his practice at Perkins Coie in Phoenix. In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated him to be General Counsel of the Air Force and he has held that office from 2009 to present.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Thaddeus Coleman III |
General Counsel of the Army 1999 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Steven J. Morello |
| Preceded by Mary L. Walker |
General Counsel of the Air Force 2009 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |