Claiborne de Borda Pell GCC GCM (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997.
Born~Died Nov 22, 1918 ~ Jan 1, 2009Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 4:27 PM
Claiborne de Borda PellGCCGCM (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, which provides financial aid funding to American college students; the grant was given Pell's name in 1980 in honor of his work in education legislation.12
A member of the Democratic Party, Pell remains the longest serving U.S. senator from Rhode Island.
Early life and education
Claiborne Pell was born on November 22, 1918, in New York City,3 the son of Matilda Bigelow and diplomat and congressman Herbert Pell.4
This page is based on “Claiborne Pell” from English Wikipedia, (r1371956141) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
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, 1945.20
In December 1944, Pell married Nuala O'Donnell, daughter of Charles Oliver O'Donnell and Josephine Hartford.222324 They had four children: Herbert Claiborne Pell III, Christopher Thomas Hartford Pell, Nuala Dallas Pell, and Julia Lorillard Wampage Pell.2526 Herbert (September 11, 1945 – September 24, 1999)27 and Julia (May 9, 1953 – April 13, 2006) predeceased their parents.28 His grandson Clay Pell (son of Herbert) was an unsuccessful contender in the 2014 Democratic primary for Governor of Rhode Island.29
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.37
Despite being called "the least electable man in America" by John F. Kennedy because of his many odd habits and beliefs,41 Pell proved a durable politician. He won reelection five times, including victories over Ruth M. Briggs in 1966, John Chafee in 1972, James G. Reynolds in 1978, Barbara Leonard in 1984, and Claudine Schneider in 1990.404243
Often considered by his opponents to be too easygoing, Pell demonstrated his effectiveness as a campaigner.17 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.17 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.3
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.44
Personality and beliefs
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.45 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."46 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.47 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.48
Arrest allegation
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 1964.49 Pell denied the allegation and there were no police records, witness statements or other sources to corroborate Winter-Berger.505152 Despite legal advice to sue for defamation, Pell declined, deciding that it would draw undue publicity to the allegations.505152
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.59 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.60 Pell also co-sponsored the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (abbreviated as FERPA), in 1974, with fellow Senator James Buckley of New York.61
He was the main sponsor of the bill that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities,62 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.63 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.64
Pell served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1995.65 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.66
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.67 He was succeeded by Jack Reed.68
Retirement and death
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.69 Towards the end of his life, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.70
Claiborne Pell died at home on January 1, 2009, at the age of 90.3 His funeral was held at Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island).71 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.72 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.73
In an obituary, The New York Times called Pell "the most formidable politician in Rhode Island history."3
Authorship, recognition, organizations
Published works
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).69
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.76
Rhode Island's Newport Bridge was renamed the Claiborne Pell Bridge78 and the Pell Center of International Relations and Public Policy was established at Salve Regina University.79 In addition, Newport's Claiborne Pell Elementary School, which opened in 2013, was named in his honor.80
Capace, Nancy (2001). Encyclopedia of Rhode Island. St. Clair Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers. pp. 337–338. ISBN 978-0-4030-9610-7. ↩
G. Wayne Miller, Providence Journal, 'A Remarkable Life' - Nuala and Claiborne Pell Reflect on Six Extraordinary Decades Together[link removed], April 10, 2005. ↩
Pell, Claiborne deBorda (1940). MaCaulay and the Slavery Issue. DataSpace (Bachelor of Arts thesis). Princeton, New Jersey: Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University. Retrieved July 24, 2026. ↩
Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2016). Guide to U.S. Elections. Vol. I (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles, California: Sage Publications. p. 1531. ISBN 978-1-4833-8036-0 – via Google Books. ↩↩2
Providence Journal, Law of the Sea[link removed], August 30, 1994. ↩
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. ↩
Claiborne de Borda PellGCCGCM (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, which provides financial aid funding to American college students; the grant was given Pell's name in 1980 in honor of his work in education legislation.12
A member of the Democratic Party, Pell remains the longest serving U.S. senator from Rhode Island.
Early life and education
Claiborne Pell was born on November 22, 1918, in New York City,3 the son of Matilda Bigelow and diplomat and congressman Herbert Pell.4
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, 1945.20
In December 1944, Pell married Nuala O'Donnell, daughter of Charles Oliver O'Donnell and Josephine Hartford.222324 They had four children: Herbert Claiborne Pell III, Christopher Thomas Hartford Pell, Nuala Dallas Pell, and Julia Lorillard Wampage Pell.2526 Herbert (September 11, 1945 – September 24, 1999)27 and Julia (May 9, 1953 – April 13, 2006) predeceased their parents.28 His grandson Clay Pell (son of Herbert) was an unsuccessful contender in the 2014 Democratic primary for Governor of Rhode Island.29
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.37
Despite being called "the least electable man in America" by John F. Kennedy because of his many odd habits and beliefs,41 Pell proved a durable politician. He won reelection five times, including victories over Ruth M. Briggs in 1966, John Chafee in 1972, James G. Reynolds in 1978, Barbara Leonard in 1984, and Claudine Schneider in 1990.404243
Often considered by his opponents to be too easygoing, Pell demonstrated his effectiveness as a campaigner.17 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.17 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.3
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.44
Personality and beliefs
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.45 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."46 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.47 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.48
Arrest allegation
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 1964.49 Pell denied the allegation and there were no police records, witness statements or other sources to corroborate Winter-Berger.505152 Despite legal advice to sue for defamation, Pell declined, deciding that it would draw undue publicity to the allegations.505152
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.59 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.60 Pell also co-sponsored the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (abbreviated as FERPA), in 1974, with fellow Senator James Buckley of New York.61
He was the main sponsor of the bill that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities,62 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.63 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.64
Pell served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1995.65 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.66
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.67 He was succeeded by Jack Reed.68
Retirement and death
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.69 Towards the end of his life, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.70
Claiborne Pell died at home on January 1, 2009, at the age of 90.3 His funeral was held at Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island).71 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.72 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.73
In an obituary, The New York Times called Pell "the most formidable politician in Rhode Island history."3
Authorship, recognition, organizations
Published works
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).69
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.76
Rhode Island's Newport Bridge was renamed the Claiborne Pell Bridge78 and the Pell Center of International Relations and Public Policy was established at Salve Regina University.79 In addition, Newport's Claiborne Pell Elementary School, which opened in 2013, was named in his honor.80
Capace, Nancy (2001). Encyclopedia of Rhode Island. St. Clair Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers. pp. 337–338. ISBN 978-0-4030-9610-7. ↩
G. Wayne Miller, Providence Journal, 'A Remarkable Life' - Nuala and Claiborne Pell Reflect on Six Extraordinary Decades Together[link removed], April 10, 2005. ↩
Pell, Claiborne deBorda (1940). MaCaulay and the Slavery Issue. DataSpace (Bachelor of Arts thesis). Princeton, New Jersey: Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University. Retrieved July 24, 2026. ↩
Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2016). Guide to U.S. Elections. Vol. I (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles, California: Sage Publications. p. 1531. ISBN 978-1-4833-8036-0 – via Google Books. ↩↩2
Providence Journal, Law of the Sea[link removed], August 30, 1994. ↩
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. ↩