Charles August Schnabel Jr.

Born February 14, 1932, in San Antonio, Texas, Charlie devoted much of his life to public service at the state and national levels. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology and a master’s degree in public administration.

Charlie’s extraordinary career in Texas government began while he was still a student at the University of Texas. In 1953, he went to work at the Texas Capitol, initially carrying and reading official messages from the Senate to the House of Representatives. A few years later, Lieutenant Governor Ben Ramsey asked him to serve temporarily as acting Secretary of the Texas Senate. What was expected to be an interim assignment became a remarkable 23-year tenure.

From 1955 until 1977, Charlie served under Lieutenant Governors Ben Ramsey, Preston Smith, Ben Barnes, and Bill Hobby and worked with generations of Texas lawmakers. His surviving correspondence with Barbara Jordan, preserved in the Barbara C. Jordan Archives, reflects his place within an important period of Texas political history. He also served as president of the National Association of Clerks and Secretaries, extending his leadership beyond Texas.

After leaving the Senate, Charlie spent seven years as executive assistant commissioner of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. In the mid-1980s, Congressman Charlie Wilson recruited him to join his congressional staff, where Charlie became his chief of staff and trusted adviser.

That work placed Charlie near the center of the American effort to support the Afghan mujahedeen during the Soviet-Afghan War, events later chronicled in George Crile’s bestselling book Charlie Wilson’s War and the motion picture it inspired. His work required him to obtain top-secret CIA clearance and brought him into direct cooperation with CIA personnel during the covert Afghanistan effort. Charlie later spoke publicly about this once-secret chapter of his life in a recorded oral-history interview.

Charlie traveled to Afghanistan 12 times, meeting with regional commanders and Afghan fighters. He also traveled to Angola in connection with conflicts involving Soviet-backed forces.

After returning to Austin, Charlie began another successful chapter as a consultant and lobbyist. Beginning in 1991, he represented environmental, insurance, business, health, and professional interests before Texas state government. He became especially well known within the dental community for his advocacy on behalf of pediatric dentistry.

The Texas Academy of Pediatric Dentistry described Charlie as its longtime “advocate, voice, lobbyist and friend” and presented him with its 2017–2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. Although he was not a dentist, his advocacy gave dental professionals—and the children and families they served—a knowledgeable and trusted voice in the legislative process.

Charlie’s commitment to service extended beyond government. His civic affiliations included leadership with the Heart Association, the Northwest Austin Kiwanis Club, and the Austin Woods and Waters Club. He also served on the executive committee of the National Legislative Conference and on the boards of the German-American Farm Mutual Insurance Company and the Manville Water Supply Corporation.

Away from the Capitol, Charlie was a devoted Texas Longhorn, sportsman, and outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, squash, and spending time on his farm near Austin, where his bird dogs had plenty of room to run.

Charlie shared an important chapter of his life with his first wife, Nadine, with whom he raised their children, Mark and Beth.

Charlie later found love and companionship with his wife, Diana, and with their marriage came a larger family that became very much his own. Her children welcomed Charlie wholeheartedly and loved him as their own. He returned that love and treasured the celebrations, everyday moments, and memories they shared together.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Diana; his children, Mark and Beth; her children, Senaida, Emmanuel, Sonya, and Ti; and his grandchildren, Madison, Josiah, Ava, Aliyana, Nayeli, Myles, and Mia. His granddaughter Addison did not have the opportunity to meet him, but he undoubtedly would have loved and treasured her as he did the rest of his family.

He is also survived by extended family members, friends, former colleagues, and members of the many organizations and communities he faithfully served.

Charlie lived a remarkable life that stretched from the Texas Capitol to Washington and the mountains of Afghanistan. But the history he witnessed and the positions he held were only part of who he was. His legacy can also be measured by the trust people placed in him, the friendships he maintained, the causes he championed, and the family he loved.

Above all, Charlie will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, mentor, friend, sportsman, and proud Texan. His influence will endure in the institutions he served, the people whose lives he touched, the stories he left behind, and most of all in the family who loved him