Charles Tetzlaff
{{short description|American attorney from Vermont}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Charles Tetzlaff
|image =
|alt =
|caption =
|office = United States Attorney for the District of Vermont
|term_start = 1993
|term_end = 2001
|appointer = Bill Clinton
|predecessor = Charles Caruso
|successor = Peter W. Hall
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age |1938|10|15}}
|birth_place = Montpelier, Vermont, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|death_cause =
|resting_place =
|party = Democratic
|spouse = Joan Barbara Seugling (m. 1961)
|children = 2
|education = University of Vermont (BA)
Boston University School of Law (LL.B.)
New York University School of Law (LL.M.)
|occupation = Attorney
|allegiance = {{Flagu|United States|1959}}
|branch = {{flag|United States Air Force}}
|branch_label = Service
|serviceyears = 1965–1968
|unit = Judge Advocate General's Corps
|battles =
|rank = Captain
}}
Charles Tetzlaff (b. October 15, 1938) is an American attorney from Vermont. He is best known for his service as United States Attorney for the District of Vermont from 1993 to 2001.
Early life
Charles Robert Tetzlaff{{cite news |date=June 12, 1961 |title=University Awards 587 Degrees at 157th Commencement |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105261746/university/ |work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}} was born in Montpelier, Vermont on October 15, 1938, the son of Donald and Harriet (Ranney) Tetzlaff.{{cite news |date=April 20, 2009 |title=Obituary, Harriet Ranney Tetzlaff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105261517/tetzlaff/ |work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page=9A |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite magazine |date=1983 |title=Biographical Entry, Tetzlaff, Charles R. |volume=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QA8AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Charles%22+%22Tetzlaff%22+%22october+15,+1938%22 |magazine=The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory |location=New Providence, NJ |publisher=Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Incorporated |page=90 |via=Google Books}} He was educated in Montpelier, Barre, and Burlington, and graduated from Montpelier High School in 1956.{{cite news |date=June 18, 1956 |title=Montpelier High Holds 143rd Graduation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78834719/david-p-norton-graduates-from-high/ |work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page=2 |via=Newspaper.com}} Tetzlaff received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont (UVM) in 1961. While in college, he participated in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and served as student commander of UVM's 870th Air Force Cadet Group.{{cite news |date=October 7, 1959 |title=UVM AFROTC Commander |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105262518/afrotc/ |work=Burlington Daily News |location=Burlington, VT |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} In addition, he was president of UVM's Sigma Phi fraternity and a member of the school's track and field team.{{cite news |date=June 4, 1959 |title=UVM Awards Letters to 90 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105262697/letters/ |work=Burlington Daily News |location=Burlington, VT |page=15 |via=Newspapers.com}}
In 1963, Tetzlaff received his LL.B. degree from Boston University School of Law, and in 1964 he received a LL.M. from New York University School of Law.{{cite news |date=March 26, 1968 |title=Tetzlaff Sworn In as Aide to leahy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105262975/sworn/ |work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page= |via=Newspapers.com}} After attaining admission to the bar, beginning in 1965 Tetzlaff served in the United States Air Force. Assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps, Tetzlaff carried out assignments at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador and Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia.{{cite news |date=July 23, 1965 |title=Vital Statistics: Births; Tetzlaff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105263182/vital/ |work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com}} He attained the rank of captain, and received his discharge in 1968.
Career
From 1968 to 1970, Tetzlaff served as deputy to Patrick Leahy during Leahy's service as State's Attorney of Chittenden County, Vermont. He subsequently became a partner in the Burlington law firm of Latham, Eastman, Schweyer & Tetzlaff, where he focused on both criminal and civil litigation and appeared in both federal and state courts.{{cite news |last=Courlander |first=Michael |date=January 22, 2001 |title=U.S. Sentencing Commission Names Charles R. Tetzlaff as General Counsel |url=https://www.ussc.gov/about/news/press-releases/january-22-2001 |work=USSC.gov |publisher=United States Sentencing Commission |location=Washington, DC}} Among the notable cases in which Tetzlaff played a role was the criminal defense of John A. Zacarro Jr., the son of Geraldine Ferraro and John A. Zaccaro Sr., when the younger Zacarro was charged in 1986 with selling cocaine while a student at Middlebury College.{{cite news |last=Donahue |first=Tim |date=June 17, 1988 |title=Zaccaro is sentenced to Prison |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105330006/zaccaro/ |work=Rutland Herald |location=Rutland, VT |pages=1, 8 |via=Newspapers.com |others=First page available at Newspapers.com/clip/105330099/ferraro/}}
In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Tetzlaff to serve as Vermont's United States Attorney. He continued in this position until 2001, when he became general counsel of the United States Sentencing Commission. The high profile cases Tetzlaff oversaw as U.S. Attorney included the investigation into and subsequent guilty pleas from Joseph C. Palmisano, a prominent attorney who defrauded clients out of nearly $8 million and served 13 years of a 15 year prison sentence.{{cite news |last=Mace |first=David |date=September 10, 1995 |title=Palmisano's Victims Still Want Their Money Back |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105330960/palmisano/ |work=Rutland Herald |location=Rutland, VT |pages=D1, D2 |via=Newspapers.com |others=First page available at Newspapers.com/clip/105331007/palmisano/}}{{cite news |last=Delcore |first=David |date=April 27, 2009 |title=Palmisano to be released from prison today |url=https://www.timesargus.com/news/palmisano-to-be-released-from-prison-today/article_fa55b4c9-4ded-53b3-9cf3-75437a6b767a.html |work=Barre Montpelier Times Argus |location=Barre, VT}}
At the federal level, Tetzlaff was a member of the U.S. Attorney General's Advisory Committee, a member of its Subcommittee on Sentencing Guidelines, chairman of its Subcommittee on Health Care Fraud, and co-chairman of its Border Subcommittee. At the state level, Tetzlaff served as chairman of the Governor's Sentencing Study Commission and the Governor's Bail Amendment Task Force. In addition, he was a member of the Vermont Board of Bar Examiners and the Vermont State Police Advisory Commission. Tetzlaff also served as a trustee of Vermont
After retiring, Tetzlaff was a resident of South Burlington, Vermont.{{cite magazine |editor-last=Emens-Butler |editor-first=Jennifer |date=Fall 2019 |title=An Interview with Incoming VBA President Elizabeth Novotny |url=https://www.vtbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2019VBAFallJournal.pdf |magazine=The Vermont Bar Journal |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=Vermont Bar Association |page=6}}
Family
Tetzlaff married Joan Barbara Seugling of Little Falls, New Jersey on July 1, 1961.{{cite news |date=July 3, 1961 |title=Joan Barbara Seugling Marries Law Student, Charles Tetzlaff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105260974/marriage-of-singling-tetzlaff/ |work=Paterson Evening News |location=Paterson, NJ |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}} They are the parents of two children, Julie and Carl.{{cite news |last=Donoghue |first=Mike |date=July 28, 1993 |title=Tetzlaff approved for U.S. attorney |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105260908/tetzlaff/ |work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}
References
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Category:People from Montpelier, Vermont
Category:People from South Burlington, Vermont
Category:University of Vermont alumni
Category:Boston University School of Law alumni
Category:New York University School of Law alumni
Category:United States Air Force officers
Category:United States attorneys for the District of Vermont