Samuelson, Elliot D

Attorney Charles E. Hanson has accepted the nomination to run for 2013 State Bar President-Elect.  The President-Elect serves a one-year term before becoming State Bar President.  To read more about Chuck's bid for State Bar President, click here.

Chuck has been with the firm since 1977 and concentrates in the areas of civil litigation, mediation, and negotiation. Acknowledged as an effective problem solver, Chuck’s integrity and judgment are respected by people on both sides of an issue. He is a community leader who has used his effective communication skills, creative leadership and organizational ability to initiate a variety of civic projects.

Chuck served as a Captain in the United States Air Force for four years and was also Chief of Military Justice at March Air Force Base as well as the Staff Judge Advocate for the Taipei Air Station. He is the recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Combined Service Forces Honorary Insignia.

Chuck has had a lifelong commitment to international peace through understanding, a goal evidenced by his many community involvements.

Community Activities and Involvements

An active member of the La Crosse Rotary Club since 1979, he has initiated a number of legacy projects, including founding the La Crosse Rotary Foundation, Inc. in 1983, which annually provides support to a wide variety of projects in the Greater La Crosse Area. He co-chaired the 1993-1995 Kids Coulee Playground Project that mobilized over 3,000 community volunteers to construct a large innovative children’s playground. He chairs the La Crosse Kids Committee which created The Brain Game, a book that teaches parents how to enhance early childhood brain development. In that process, Mr. Hanson brought together key community organizations and leaders for that book’s development and funding. (Over 20,000 copies are currently in print and the book is distributed at no cost to new parents at both major medical facilities in La Crosse). He is the founder of the Riverside International Friendship Gardens, Inc., a community-wide project to celebrate different cultures.

He was the founder and first President of the La Crosse-Dubna Friendship Association, which established a sister-city relationship with the “closed” city of Dubna, Russia in 1990 and led to numerous programs, including the development of a University, the creation of the Dubna Rotary Club, and innovative medical programs. He chaired the Hands-Across-The-Heartlands Campaign that coordinated a community effort of 5,000 volunteers who collected and prepared for shipment 400,000 pounds of food, clothing, and medicine. This effort provided humanitarian relief to over 12,000 needy people in Dubna, Russia during the bitter winter of 1991 - 1992. Mr. Hanson is also the founding President of the La Crosse-Luoyang Friendship Association which established the sister-city relationship with Luoyang, China in 1997. As a result of this relationship, two Chinese teachers are now in La Crosse every year providing the core of the Chinese language program now educating 200 high school students annually at no cost to local taxpayers. He is also the founding president of the sister city relationships with Bantry, Ireland and F0rde, Norway. Mr. Hanson was the founding co-chair of the U.S. China Council for Sister Cities International and also serves as an advisor to the Mayor on the International Committee of the City of La Crosse. In addition to his international interests, he has served as President of Junior Achievement of the Coulee Region.