Charles Taber was born in Saint Louis in 1925. A 1949 political science graduate of Washington University, he later attended Yale University’s Institute of Far East Languages. After a stint at USAID, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served for thirty years, with tours of duty in Japan, Taiwan, Okinawa, the Philippines, the Netherlands, East Malaysia, Germany, and Vietnam. In retirement he volunteered at the National Archives, the Clinton White House, and the National Democratic Party headquarters. He was instrumental in lobbying for legislation providing retirement and medical benefits to divorced spouses of State Department and CIA officers. Charles Taber lives near Washington D.C. with his wife, Lois. He has two children, Sara and Andrew, and five grandchildren.