Claiborne Pell

Claiborne Pell was born on November 22, 1918, in New York City,William H. Honan, New York Times, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/us/politics/02pell.html Claiborne Pell, Ex-Senator, Dies at 90], January 1, 2009. the son of Matilda Bigelow and diplomat and congressman Herbert Pell.{{cite book |last=United States Congress |date=1995 |title=Official Congressional Directory |volume=104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihc5AQAAMAAJ&q=%22claiborne+pell%22+herbert+matilda |location=Washington, DC |publisher=US Government Printing Office |page=239}}

Pell's family members included John Francis Hamtramck Claiborne, George Mifflin Dallas, and Nathaniel Herbert Claiborne.{{cite book |last=Capace |first=Nancy |date=2001 |title=Encyclopedia of Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHPYeCvnASoC&pg=PA337 |location=St. Clair Shores, MI |publisher=Somerset Publishers |pages=337–338 |isbn=978-0-4030-9610-7}} He was a direct descendant of English mathematician John Pell and a descendant of Senator William C. C. Claiborne.G. Wayne Miller, Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216161702/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/820727051.html?dids=820727051:820727051&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+10,+2005&author=G.+WAYNE+MILLER+Journal+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc='a+remarkable+life'+-+Nuala+and+Claiborne+Pell+reflect+on+six+extraordinary+decades+together&pqatl=google 'A Remarkable Life' - Nuala and Claiborne Pell Reflect on Six Extraordinary Decades Together], April 10, 2005. The Congressional Record also reports that he was a direct descendant of Wampage I, a Siwanoy chieftain.1966 Congressional Record, Volume 112, Page {{URL|https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1966-pt1/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1966-pt1.pdf|S606}} (1966-01-19).

In 1927, Pell's parents divorced and his mother remarried Hugo W. Koehler of St. Louis, a commander in the United States Navy.G. Wayne Miller, [https://books.google.com/books?id=uQi3-7T_G28C&dq=%22claiborne+pell%22+roustabout&pg=PA66 An Uncommon Man: The Life & Times of Senator Claiborne Pell], 2011, pages 41–42. Following World War I, Koehler served as an Office of Naval Intelligence and State Department operative in Russia during its civil war, and later as naval attaché to Poland.{{cite news |date=June 18, 1941 |title=Hugo W. Koehler, Ex-Navy Officer, Dies in New York |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/47060966/koehler/ |work=Quad-City Times |location=Davenport, IA |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}} Said to be the "richest officer in the Navy" during the 1920s, Koehler was rumored to be the illegitimate son of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria and to have assisted the Romanovs to flee the Russian Empire following the Russian Revolution of 1917.{{rp|208–210}} Pell was close to his stepfather, who died when Pell was 22. In later years, he made a concerted effort to determine the veracity of the rumors surrounding Koehler's past, but was only partly successful.Our Man in the Crimea: Commander Hugo Koehler and the Russian Civil War. P. J. Capelotti. University of South Carolina Press. (1991) pages 9–10.A Man Apart: The Life and Times of Senator Claiborne Pell. G. Wayne Miller. UPNE. 2011. page 208.

Pell attended St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island,J. Y. Smith, Washington Post, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/01/AR2009010101521.html Former R.I. Senator Claiborne Pell, 90; Sponsored Grant Program], January 2, 2009. and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Princeton University in 1940.United Federation of Postal Clerks, [https://books.google.com/books?id=iagfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22claiborne+pell%22+princeton+history+1940 Union Postal Clerk and the Postal Transport Journal], Volumes 60-62, 1964, p. 23. Pell's senior thesis was titled "Macaulay and the Slavery Issue."{{Cite journal|last=Pell|first=Claiborne deBorda|date=1940|title=MaCaulay and the Slavery Issue|url=http://dataspace.princeton.edu/jspui/handle/88435/dsp01v405sb54b}} While at Princeton, he was a member of Colonial Club and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, and played on the rugby team.Princeton Alumni Association, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EBJbAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22claiborne+pell%22+princeton+colonial+whig+rugby&pg=RA2-PA44 Princeton Alumni Weekly], Volume 74, (March 19, 1974), page 44.

After graduating from Princeton, Pell worked as an oil field roustabout in Oklahoma.{{rp|66}} He then served as private secretary for his father, who was United States Ambassador to Portugal. At the start of World War II he was with his father, who was then United States Ambassador to Hungary. Claiborne Pell drove trucks carrying emergency supplies to prisoners of war in Germany, and was detained several times by the Nazi government.{{cite web|author=Mulligan, John E.|title=Claiborne Pell dies|work=Providence Journal|url=http://www.projo.com/news/content/pell_dies_01-02-09_SRCQQV5_v16.3fe791b.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423110049/http://www.projo.com/news/content/pell_dies_01-02-09_SRCQQV5_v16.3fe791b.html|archive-date=April 23, 2011}}

Pell enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard as a seaman second class on August 12, 1941, four months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Pell served as a ship's cook, was promoted to seaman first class on October 31, and then was commissioned as an ensign on December 17, 1941.New York Times, [https://www.nytimes.com/1960/09/30/archives/new-face-in-politics-claiborne-deborda-pell.html New Face in Politics; Claiborne deBorda Pell], September 30, 1960. During the war, Pell's ships served as North Atlantic convoy escorts, and also in amphibious warfare during the allied invasion of Sicily and the allied invasion of the Italian mainland.Ken Franckling, United Press International, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EWtEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=crIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1458,3742347&dq=claiborne+pell+italy+sicily+north-atlantic&hl=en Sen. Caliborne Pell -- You Let the Other Man Have Your Way], Albany (Georgia) Herald, July 22, 1981.

Pell was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) on October 1, 1942, and then to lieutenant in May 1943. Due to his fluency in Italian, Pell was assigned as a civil affairs officer in Sicily, where he became ill from drinking unpasteurized milk. He was sent home for recuperation during the summer of 1944, but returned to active service later in the war. Pell was discharged from active duty on September 5, 1945.G. Wayne Miller, An Uncommon Man, p. 80.

After the end of World War II, he remained in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He attained the rank of captain and retired in 1978.Celeste Katz, Providence Journal, [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31864959.html?dids=31864959:31864959&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+19%2C+1996&author=CELESTE+KATZ+Journal-Bulletin+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Coast+Guard+presence+in+Newport+grows+*Coast+Guard+Commandant+Adm.+Robert+E.+Kramek+has+started+to+build+a+mix+of+cutters+and+buoy+tenders+to+be+home+ported+in+Newport%2C+says+Senator+Pell.&pqatl=google Coast Guard Presence in Newport Grows]{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, July 19, 1996.

In December 1944, Pell married Nuala O'Donnell, daughter of Charles Oliver O'Donnell and Josephine Hartford.{{cite news|url=http://ripr.org/post/nuala-pell-spouse-and-political-partner-sen-claiborne-pell-dies|title=Nuala Pell, Spouse and Political Partner of Sen. Claiborne Pell, Dies|date=April 13, 2014|access-date=July 2, 2016|author=Scott MacKay}}Eric Pace, [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/10/nyregion/josephine-hartford-bryce-88-philanthropist-and-sportswoman.html "Josephine Hartford Bryce, 88, Philanthropist and Sportswoman"], The New York Times, June 10, 1992.{{cite news |url=http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140413-nuala-pell-dies-at-89-she-left-an-indelible-mark.ece|title=Nuala Pell dies at 89; she left 'an indelible mark'|access-date=October 27, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414062258/http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140413-nuala-pell-dies-at-89-she-left-an-indelible-mark.ece|archive-date=April 14, 2014|df=mdy-all}} They had four children: Herbert Claiborne Pell III, Christopher Thomas Hartford Pell, Nuala Dallas Pell, and Julia Lorillard Wampage Pell.Faye Zuckerman, [https://archive.today/20130216161839/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/393926261.html?dids=393926261:393926261&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+02,+2003&author=FAYE+ZUCKERMAN++Journal+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Pell+family+wedding+a+mix+of+two+cultures&pqatl=google "Pell Family Wedding a Mix of Two Cultures"], The Providence Journal, September 2, 2003.Jody McPhillips and Elizabeth Abbott, [https://archive.today/20130216171933/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/580206731.html?dids=580206731:580206731&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+25,+1990&author=JODY+McPHILLIPS+and+ELIZABETH+ABBOTT+Journal-Bulletin+Staff+Writers&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Pell+kicks+off+Senate+campaign&pqatl=google Pell Kicks Off Senate Campaign], The Providence Journal, June 25, 1990. Herbert (September 11, 1945 – September 24, 1999){{cite web |url=https://paw.princeton.edu/memorial/herbert-claiborne-pell-iii-%E2%80%9967 |title=Memorial: Herbert Claiborne Pell III '67 |date=September 27, 1999 |website=Princeton Alumni Weekly |publisher=Princeton University Alumni Association |location=Princeton, NJ}} and Julia (May 9, 1953 – April 13, 2006) predeceased their parents.{{cite news |date=April 15, 2006 |title=Death Notice, Julia Lorillard Wampage Pell |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/15/classified/paid-notice-deaths-pell-julia-lorillard-wampage.html |work=The New York Times |location=New York, NY}} His grandson Clay Pell (son of Herbert) was an unsuccessful contender in the 2014 Democratic primary for Governor of Rhode Island.{{cite news |last=Alman |first=Ashley |date=September 9, 2014 |title=Gina Raimondo Wins Democratic Primary For Rhode Island Governor |url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/09/rhode-island-governor-primary_n_5792782.html |work=Huffington Post |location=New York, NY}}

From 1945 to 1952, he served in the United States Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Washington, D.C. He was fluent in French, Italian, and Portuguese.Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216160613/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/596919001.html?dids=596919001:596919001&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+29,+1989&author=Journal-Bulletin+Washington+Bureau&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Pell+to+return+to+Czechoslovakia,+was+there+for+Communist+takeover&pqatl=google Pell to Return to Czechoslovakia, Was There for Communist Takeover], November 29, 1989.

In 1945, Pell was a participant in the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco that drafted the United Nations Charter.Warren Christopher, [https://books.google.com/books?id=YipOlJqr6msC&dq=claiborne+pell+%22united+nations%22+conference+charter&pg=PA15 In the Stream of History: Shaping Foreign Policy for a New Era], 1998, p. 15.

In 1946 he completed graduate studies in International Relations at Columbia University and received a Master of Arts degree.M. Charles Bakst, Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216161828/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31876161.html?dids=31876161:31876161&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+08,+1996&author=M.+CHARLES+BAKST&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Claiborne+Pell:+A+unique+legacy&pqatl=google Claiborne Pell: A Unique Legacy], December 8, 1996.

In 1954, Pell was appointed vice president and member of the board of directors of the International Fiscal Corporation. He also served as a vice president and director of the North American Newspaper Alliance.Princeton Alumni Association, [https://books.google.com/books?id=sRFbAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22international+fiscal+corporation%22+pell&pg=RA4-PA60 Princeton Alumni Weekly], Volume 55, April 15, 1955, p. 24. He was also a director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation, Fort Ticonderoga Association, and General Rochambeau Commission of Rhode Island.Newport Daily News, Pell Named Director, May 15, 1954. He also served as a fundraiser and consultant for the Democratic National Committee.Joseph M. Siracusa, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Vn7ZJrjtvTwC&dq=claiborne+pell+consultant+democratic+national+committee&pg=PA376 The Kennedy Years], 2004, p. 376. He served as Vice President of the International Rescue Committee. Stationed in Austria, he was responsible for assisting refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 to leave the country and resettle.University of Rhode Island, [http://www.uri.edu/library/special_collections/political_papers/pell/Mss.%20Gr.%2071f.html Register to the Senatorial Papers of Claiborne Pell: Biography], uri.edu; accessed May 21, 2019.

During Pell's diplomatic career and other international activities in the 1940s and 1950s, he was arrested and jailed at least six times, including detentions by both fascist and communist governments.University of Rhode Island, [http://www.uri.edu/library/special_collections/exhibits/pell/Pell_bio_sketch.htm Senator Claiborne deBorda Pell (1918–2009)], uri.edu; accessed May 21, 2019.

File:Mrs. Gorbachev looking at books.jpg listens to Marilyn Quayle at a display of books and other items at the Library of Congress]]

In 1960, Pell won the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Theodore Francis Green, defeating former Governor Dennis J. Roberts and former Governor and U.S. Senator J. Howard McGrath in the Democratic primary,New York Times, [https://www.nytimes.com/1960/09/29/archives/newcomer-wins-senate-primary-pell-defeats-two-former-rhode-island.html Newcomer Wins Senate Primary; Pell Defeats Two Former Rhode Island Governors Seeking Green's Seat], September 28, 1960. and former Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Raoul Archambault in the general election.Hendersonville (North Carolina), Times-News, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X1BPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RCMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4418,3399569&dq=claiborne-pell+archambault+senate&hl=en Democrats' Clutch on Congress Holds], November 4, 1960.

Despite being called "the least electable man in America" by John F. Kennedy because of his many odd habits and beliefs,Scott MacKay, Rhode Island Public Radio, [http://wrnipoliticsblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-life-and-times-of-an-uncommon-man-sen-claborne-pell/ The Life and Times of an Uncommon Man: Sen. Claiborne Pell], October 20, 2011. Pell proved a durable politician. He won reelection five times, including victories over Ruth M. Briggs (1966), John Chafee (1972), James G. Reynolds (1978), Barbara Leonard (1984), and Claudine Schneider (1990).

Often considered by his opponents to be too easygoing, Pell demonstrated his effectiveness as a campaigner. During his first campaign, when he was accused of carpetbagging, Pell published newspaper advertisements featuring a photograph of his grand-uncle Duncan Pell, who had served as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island during the 1860s, thus demonstrating Pell's association with the state. When Briggs called him a "creampuff" during their 1966 campaign, Pell turned that to his advantage and mocked Briggs by obtaining an endorsement from a local baker's union.{{cite news |last=Honan |first=William H. |date=January 1, 2009 |title=Claiborne Pell, Ex-Senator, Dies at 90 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/us/politics/02pell.html |newspaper=New York Times |location=New York, NY}}

During his first campaign, Pell also used his foreign experience to great advantage, impressing some largely immigrant audiences in person and on the radio by campaigning in their native languages.Richard F. Fenno Jr., [https://books.google.com/books?id=NuZXHrSmy3UC&dq=claiborne+pell+coast+guard+career&pg=PA241 Senators on the Campaign Trail: The Politics of Representation], 1998, p. 243.

Pell was known for unusual beliefs and behaviors, including wearing threadbare suits, using public transportation and purchasing cheap used automobiles despite his wealth, and an interest in the paranormal.Scott McKay, Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216172430/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/580204531.html?dids=580204531:580204531&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+26,+1990&author=SCOTT+MacKAY+Journal-Bulletin+State+House+Bureau&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Pell+seeks+sixth+term;+cites+jobs,+peace+issues&pqatl=google Pell Seeks Sixth Term; Cites Jobs, Peace Issues], June 26, 1990. His interest in the paranormal was critiqued by author Martin Gardner: "In my opinion, however, no one in Washington has rivaled Senator Pell in combining of science with extreme gullibility toward the performances of psychics."{{cite book |date=2000 |last=Gardner |first=Martin |authorlink=Martin Gardner |title=Did Adam and Eve Have Navels? |location=New York, NY |publisher=W. W. Norton & Co. |page=176}} He also wore his father's belt as a memento, despite the fact that Herbert Pell was stouter than the rail-thin Claiborne Pell, requiring Claiborne Pell to wrap the belt around his waist twice to make it fit.Mark Patinkin, Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216172558/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31874478.html?dids=31874478:31874478&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+08,+1996&author=MARK+PATINKIN&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=THE+COLUMN+For+Claiborne+Pell,+the+doing+was+enough&pqatl=google For Claiborne Pell, The Doing Was Enough], October 8, 1996. Pell would also wear unique clothing while jogging, including a tweed suit jacket. According to another story about Pell's eccentricities, at the conclusion of a meeting with Fidel Castro, Pell took Castro's cigar because he thought it was a gift for him.

In 1972's The Washington Pay-Off, author and former lobbyist Robert N. Winter-Berger wrote about Pell's alleged arrest during a raid on a Greenwich Village homosexual bar in 1964.{{cite book|last1=Winter-Berger|first1=Robert N.|title=The Washington pay-off; an insider's view of corruption in government|date=1972|publisher=Lyle Stuart Inc|pages=86–89}} Pell denied the allegation and there were no police records, witness statements or other sources to corroborate Winter-Berger.{{cite news|last1=Lofton Jr|first1=John D.|author-link1=John Lofton|title=May Call Winter-Berger in Ford Hearing|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a5wgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2932,4136719 |access-date=May 4, 2018|work=Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)|date=October 29, 1973|pages=4}}Arnold A. Hutschnecker, [https://books.google.com/books?id=z2l-AAAAMAAJ&q=claiborne+pell+winter-berger The Drive for Power], 1974, p. 25.Robert Trowbridge Hartmann, [https://books.google.com/books?id=cut4AAAAMAAJ&q=pell+%22winter-berger%22 Palace Politics: An Inside Account of the Ford Years], 1980, p. 57. Despite legal advice to sue for defamation, Pell declined, deciding that it would draw undue publicity to the allegations.

Pell voted in favor of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/87-1962/s226|title=S.J. RES. 29. APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION BANNING THE POLL TAX AS PREREQUISITE FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.}} the Civil Rights Act of 1964,{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/s409|title=HR. 7152. PASSAGE.}} the Voting Rights Act of 1965,{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/s78|title=TO PASS S. 1564, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965.}} the Medicare program,{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/s151|title=TO PASS H.R. 6675, THE SOCIAL SECURITY AMENDMENTS OF 1965.}} the Civil Rights Act of 1968,{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1968/s346|title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION IN SALE OR RENTAL OF HOUSING, AND TO PROHIBIT RACIALLY MOTIVATED INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON EXERCISING HIS CIVIL RIGHTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.}} and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court.{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1967/s176|title=CONFIRMATION OF THURGOOD MARSHALL, THE FIRST NEGRO APPOINTED TO THE SUPREME COURT.|work=GovTrack.us}}

Early in his Senate tenure, Pell was a major legislative sponsor of the National Sea Grant College Program in 1965 and 1966 that served to support marine research, and develop maritime industries.{{cite web |url=http://smithlever.wvu.edu/r/download/199832 |title=Philosophical & Institutional Innovations of Kenyon Leech Butterfield and the Rhode Island Contributions to the Development of Land Grant and Sea Grant Extension |author=Rice, M.A., S. Rodrigues and K. Venturini |publisher=Century Beyond the Campus: Past, Present, and Future of Extension A Research Symposium to Mark the 100th Anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act September 24–25, 2014, West Virginia University. Waterfront Place Hotel, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Sep. 2014. |access-date=23 Dec 2014 |archive-date=23 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223150218/http://smithlever.wvu.edu/r/download/199832 |url-status=live }} The Sea Grant program supported considerable growth of the oceanography and other marine science disciplines during the mid-20th Century.

Pell was largely responsible for the creation of "Basic Educational Opportunity Grants" in 1973, renamed Pell Grants in 1980, to provide financial aid funds to U.S. college students. Pell Grants initially provided for grants for prisoners, but Congress later eliminated that provision. For some years there was more money available than was applied for.Maura J. Casey, New York Times, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/opinion/06tue4.html Senator Claiborne Pell’s Vision], January 5, 2009. Pell also co-sponsored the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (abbreviated as FERPA), in 1974 with fellow Senator, James Buckley of New York.{{cite web |url=https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/ferpaleghistory.pdf |title=Legislative History of Major FERPA Provisions |date= |access-date=March 26, 2025 |publisher=U.S. Department of Education |language=en}}

He was the main sponsor of the bill that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities,Frank Baker, Associated Press, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y8dHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Zv8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=1470,878670&dq=claiborne-pell+national+endowment&hl=en Claiborne Pell, Rhode Island's Quirky Senator, to Retire], Meriden Record-Journal, September 6, 1995. and was active as an advocate for mass transportation initiatives and domestic legislation facilitating and conforming to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216171609/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/575871911.html?dids=575871911:575871911&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+30,+1994&author=&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Law+of+the+Sea&pqatl=google Law of the Sea], August 30, 1994. Pell was one of twenty-five Senators to co-sponsor the Health Security Act, a bipartisan universal health care bill that advocated the creation of a health insurance program run by the federal government to provide coverage to every person in America.Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 92nd Congress, First Session, Volume 117-Part 1; January 21, 1971 to February 1, 1971 (Pages 3 to 1338), Page 284.

Pell served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1995.CNN, [http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/01/claiborne.pell.dies/ Ex-Sen. Claiborne Pell, proponent of student grants, dies], January 1, 2009. In 1990 he was re-elected to his sixth and last term of the Senate.

In 1996, his last full year in the Senate, Pell voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned the federal government from legally recognizing same-sex marriage.{{cite web |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/104-1996/s280 |title=H.R. 3396 (104th): Defense of Marriage Act |date=September 10, 1996 |website=Govtrack.us |publisher=Civic Impulse, LLC |location=Washington, DC |access-date=March 21, 2020}}

Pell declined to seek re-election in 1996 and retired on January 3, 1997. Pell served in the Senate for thirty-six continuous years, making him the longest-serving U.S. Senator in the history of Rhode Island.WCVB-TV, Edward M. Kennedy's Tribute to Former Sen. Claiborne Pell, January 5, 2009. He was succeeded by Jack Reed.Bryant University, [http://web.bryant.edu/~alumni/2010/may/jack_reed.htm RI Senator Jack Reed Addresses Class of 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712094800/http://web.bryant.edu/~alumni/2010/may/jack_reed.htm |date=July 12, 2010 }}, May 2010.

After retirement, Pell lived in Newport and was a communicant of St. Columba's Chapel in Middletown. He occasionally attended public functions of organizations with which he was affiliated. He was also a distinguished visiting professor at Salve Regina University.{{cite magazine |last=Pell |first=Claiborne |date=Autumn 1998 |title=Set and Drift: The Law of the Sea Convention is Critical to National Interests |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rYYq7_bIGN0C&pg=RA3-PA114 |magazine=Naval War College Review |location=Newport, RI |publisher=Naval War College |page=114 |via=Google Books}} Towards the end of his life, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.Associated Press, [https://apnews.com/4e0ba81fcece2b0cea732f97c617d288 Sen. Claiborne Pell Says He Has Parkinson's Disease], April 10, 1995.

Claiborne Pell died on January 1, 2009. His funeral was held at Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island).C-Span Video Library, [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/283114-1 Funeral Service for Claiborne Pell], January 5, 2009. In addition to members of his family, Pell was eulogized by former President Bill Clinton, Senators Edward Kennedy and Jack Reed, and then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden.Foon Rhee, Boston Globe, [https://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/01/clinton_kennedy.html Clinton, Kennedy Honor Claiborne Pell], January 5, 2009. He was buried at St. Columba's (Episcopal) Chapel (Berkeley Memorial Chapel) in Middletown, Rhode Island, near the graves of his son Herbert and his daughter Julia, who had predeceased him.Bob Breidenbach, Providence Journal, [http://politicsblog.projo.com/2009/01/photo-video-sce.html Photo, Video: Scenes From Services for Claiborne Pell] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202190705/http://politicsblog.projo.com/2009/01/photo-video-sce.html |date=February 2, 2009 }}, January 5, 2009.

Soon after his death, the newspaper The New York Times termed Pell "the most formidable politician in Rhode Island history."{{cite news|last1=Honan|first1=William|title=Claiborne Pell, Ex-Senator, Dies at 90|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/us/politics/02pell.html|access-date=October 13, 2014|work=New York Times|date=January 1, 2009}}

Senator Pell authored three books, Megalopolis Unbound: The Supercity and the Transportation of Tomorrow (1966), A Challenge of the Seven Seas (1966), (co-author), and "Power and Policy: America's Role in World Affairs" (1972).

Senator Pell received more than 50 honorary college degrees, including recognition from Johnson & Wales University, the University of Vermont and the University of Massachusetts.Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216160225/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/599518441.html?dids=599518441:599518441&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+24,+1988&author=&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Universities+in+New+England+set+honorary+degrees+for+Pell,+DiPrete&pqatl=google Universities in New England Set Honorary Degrees for Pell, DiPrete], May 24, 1988.

In 1983 Pell was awarded American Library Association Honorary Membership.

In 1987 Pell was among those selected for the United Nations Environment Programme's Global 500 Roll of Honour, during the first year that award was established.Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216172303/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/601237351.html?dids=601237351:601237351&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+09,+1987&author=&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Pell+to+receive+award+at+coastal+conference&pqatl=google Pell to Receive Award at Coastal Conference], October 9, 1987.

In 1988, Pell received the Foreign Language Advocacy Award from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in recognition of his work in establishing the NEA, the NEH, and the Pell Grant Program.{{cite web|title=The James W. Dodge Foreign Language Advocate Award |url=http://www.nectfl.org/awards-james-w-dodge-foreign-language-advocate-award |publisher=Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages |access-date=August 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821193635/http://www.nectfl.org/awards-james-w-dodge-foreign-language-advocate-award |archive-date=August 21, 2014 }}

On October 14, 1994, President Bill Clinton presented Pell with the Presidential Citizens Medal.New York Times, [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/14/arts/17-are-honored-in-arts-fields.html 17 Are Honored In Arts Fields], October 14, 1994.

Rhode Island's Newport Bridge was renamed the Claiborne Pell BridgeBrian C. Jones, Providence Journal, A Rhode Island Original: His Name May be on Bridge, But Pell Still Pays Toll, July 23, 1995. and the Pell Center of International Relations and Public Policy was established at Salve Regina University.Jerry O'Brien, Providence Journal, [https://archive.today/20130216162101/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/31867259.html?dids=31867259:31867259&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+05,+1996&author=JERRY+O'BRIEN+Journal-Bulletin+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Salve+to+buy+mansion+for+new+Pell+Center&pqatl=google Salve to Buy Mansion for New Pell Center], December 5, 1996. In addition, Newport's Claiborne Pell Elementary School, which opened in 2013, was named in his honor.{{cite news |last=Borg |first=Linda |date=September 3, 2013 |title=Newport, R.I., school named after late U.S. Senator Pell honors his educational legacy |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20130903-newport-r.i.-school-named-after-late-senator-pell-honors-his-educational-legacy.ece |work=Providence Journal |location=providence, RI}}

Pell was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.United States Coast Guard, [http://www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/Claiborne_Pell.asp Coast Guard History, Frequently Asked Questions: Claiborne Pell], accessed September 5, 2013. He also received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy.Bill Wells, [http://www.aug.edu/~libwrw/awards/medals2.htm Coast Guard Warriors - Part of The Mix: Coast Guard Medal Awardees of World War II] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626162500/http://www.aug.edu/~libwrw/awards/medals2.htm |date=June 26, 2012 }}, 1998.

His awards for service in the Coast Guard during the Second World War included the American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the World War Two Victory Medal.United States Coast Guard, [http://www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/Claiborne_Pell.asp Coast Guard History, Frequently Asked Questions: Claiborne Pell]. Review of awards displayed on uniform, September 5, 2013.

Pell was a member of the Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati.{{cite book |last=Joint Committee on Printing, United States Congress |date=1974 |title=Official Congressional Directory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v1Pd1puvPnoC&pg=PA162 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=US Government printing Office |page=162}} Pell was also an honorary life member of the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars as well as a member of Spouting Rock Beach Association (Bailey's Beach) and the Newport Reading Room.Providence Journal, Claiborne Pell Remembered as "the right kind of aristocrat", January 6, 2009.

• 80px Presidential Citizens Medal (1994)
• 80px American Defense Service Medal
• 80px American Campaign Medal
• 80px European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
• 80px World War II Victory Medal
• 80px Grand Cross of the Order of Christ, Portugal (May 31, 1979){{cite web|title=Cidadãos Estrangeiros Agraciados com Ordens Portuguesas|url=http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/?idc=154|website=Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas|access-date=March 20, 2019}}
• 80px Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, Portugal (October 7, 1994)
• 80px Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Crown of Italy
• 80px Chevalier, Legion of Honor (France)

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=P000193 Claiborne Pell] at [http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch1.asp Congressional Biographical Directory]
• {{Find a Grave|32560026}}
• New England Cable News, [https://archive.today/20130216123652/http://www.necn.com/pages/landing_secretlife?blockID=144912&tagID=23013 Video, Bill Clinton Eulogy], Something 'magical' about Claiborne Pell, January 5, 2009
• WPRI-TV, [https://web.archive.org/web/20121108123355/http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/east_bay/local_wpri_biden_eulogy_claiborne_pell_20090105 Video, Joe Biden Eulogy], VP-Elect Joe Biden Eulogizes Sen. Pell, January 5, 2009
• WPRI-TV, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120807021118/http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/east_bay/local_wpri_sen_edward_kennedy_eulogizes_sen_pell_20090105 Video, Ted Kennedy Eulogy], Sen. Kennedy eulogizes former Sen. Pell, January 5, 2009
• WPRI-TV, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120807021108/http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/east_bay/local_wpri_claiborne_pell_funeral_jack_reed_eulogy_20090105 Video, Jack Reed Eulogy], Sen. Reed: Pell Was Ideal Public Servant, January 5, 2009
• {{YouTube|k1bKkxd8aVI|Video, Whitehouse Pays Tribute to the Memory of Senator Claiborne Pell}}, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, January 5, 2009.
• {{C-SPAN|2187}}

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{{s-bef|before=Les AuCoin, Joe Biden, Bill Bradley, Robert Byrd, Tom Daschle, Bill Hefner, Barbara B. Kennelly, George Miller, Tip O'Neill, Paul Tsongas, Tim Wirth}}

{{s-ttl|title=Response to the State of the Union address|years=1984|alongside=Max Baucus, Joe Biden, David Boren, Barbara Boxer, Robert Byrd, Dante Fascell, Bill Gray, Tom Harkin, Dee Huddleston, Carl Levin, Tip O'Neill}}

{{s-aft|after=Bill Clinton
Bob Graham
Tip O'Neill}}

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{{s-bef|before=Theodore Green}}

{{s-ttl|title=U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Rhode Island|years=1961–1997|alongside=John O. Pastore, John Chafee}}

{{s-aft|after=Jack Reed}}

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{{s-bef|before=Howard Cannon}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Senate Rules Committee|years=1978–1981}}

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{{s-bef|before=Richard Lugar}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee|years=1987–1995}}

{{s-aft|after=Jesse Helms}}

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{{United States senators from Rhode Island}}

{{US Senate Foreign Relations chairs}}

{{US Senate Rules chairs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pell, Claiborne}}

Category:1918 births

Category:2009 deaths

Category:Diplomats for the United States

Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Rhode Island

Category:American recipients of the Legion of Honour

Category:Military personnel from New York City

Category:People educated at Gibbs School

Category:Politicians from New York City

Category:Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island

Category:Presidential Citizens Medal recipients

Category:Princeton University alumni

Category:Rhode Island Democrats

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Category:St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni

Category:United States Coast Guard captains

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Category:United States Department of State officials

Category:Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Category:Claiborne family

Category:Pell family

Category:20th-century United States senators