Charlotte Milton Caldwell was born to Charles Minor Caldwell and his wife the former Ida Goodykoontz in
Radford, Virginia. She graduated from
Radford College, then known as the Women's Division of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, On April 5, 1929, she married Arthur Rossa Giesen, and they had a son and daughter who survived them. In 1954 Charlotte Giesen became the first woman elected to Radford's city council. Her husband, Arthur Giesen, was Radford's mayor and also served on the city council. Fellow delegate, Democrat
Dorothy Shoemaker McDiarmid, characterized Giesen as "everyone's favorite aunt." Giesen served on four committees: Federal Relations, Immigration, Printing, and Public Property. Nonetheless, Charlotte Giesen continued her civic involvement. In 1962 she was reelected to the Radford City Council, on which she served until 1966.
Theodore Roosevelt Dalton and his son, future governor
John N. Dalton, were Giesen's next-door neighbors during her time as a delegate. ==Death and legacy==