Born in New York City, Claiborne deBorda Pell (November 22, 1918 - January 1, 2009) was the son of Matilda Bigelow Pell and Herbert Claiborne Pell, Jr. His father had an extensive list of political service including a congressional position for New York (1919-1921), Minister to Portugal (1937-1941), Minister to Hungary (1941-1942), and a representative at the United States War Crimes Commission (1943-1945).
Claibrone Pell graduated from St. Georges High School in Middletown, Rhode Island before receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History at Princeton University in 1940. From 1941 to 1945 Claiborne Pell served in the United States Coast Guard and then continued on the United States Coast Guard Reserve until 1978. He received a Master's degree in International Relations from Columbia University in 1946.
In December of 1944, Claiborne Pell married Nuala O'Donnell Pell and they had four children: Herbert Claiborne Pell III, Christopher Thomas Hartford Pell, Nuala Dallas Pell, and Julia Lorillard Wampage Pell.
Some of his early political achievements include his participation in the United Nations Conference on International Organization in 1945 that created the United Nations Charter and his service as a State Department Foreign Service Officer from 1945 to 1952.
From 1961 to 1997, Claiborne Pell served as a United States Senator from Rhode Island. He participated in the Committee on Rules and Administration, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Labor and Welfare Committee, the Subcommittee of Education, the Joint Congressional Committee on Libraries and Museums, and the Special Committee on Aging. Senator Pell was a member of the Executive Committee on the Environment and Energy Study while also contributing to the World Conference on the Environment in 1972 and the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. Along with many other achievements, Senator Pell enacted environmental and educational legislation, including the Pell Grants.
After retiring from the Senate, Claiborne Pell spent the majority of his final years in Newport, Rhode Island before passing away on January 1, 2009. He was interred in St. Columba's Episcopal Church cemetery in Middletown, Rhode Island.
Robert "Bob" Foust is from Arlington, Virginia. He studied Political Science at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey until 1964. In 1971, he completed his Master's degree in International Relations at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Foust also attended the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Robert Foust began working for the Senate in the 1960s before becoming a staff member for Senator Claiborne Pell from 1970 to 1989. He was a Legislative Assistance and then a Legislative Director as his career progressed in the Senate. In 1991, he joined the staff of United States Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota as his Senior Policy Advisor. Throughout his career, Foust oversaw the intern programs for both Senator Claiborne Pell and Senator Kent Conrad. He also assisted in legislation on education and foreign affairs, including the Rural Education Achievement Program. Additionally, he was a strong advocate for veteran facilities. In 2005, he retired from his position as a Chief Executive Officer and became an adjunct professor at George Washington University from 2006 until 2008.
This collection is not restricted.
Various copying restriction apply, according to the Archives' use policy. Guidelines are available from the Salve Regina University Archives. Salve Regina University owns the copyright to material produced by employees and trustees of the University and work for hire. Requests for permission to publish material from the University Archives should be directed to the Archivist. See also the Archives' copyright and publication statement.
[Identification of item], in SP.13: Robert Foust papers on Senator Claiborne Pell, Box 1, [Folder #], Salve Regina University Special Collections, McKillop Library, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
The collection includes materials collected by Robert Foust while working on the staff of Senator Claiborne Pell, such as correspondence, campaign materials, and publications, particularly related to energy and environmental projects, and photographs of Senator Pell with politicians and other individuals. It does not include significant internal documentation of Senator Pell's office.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject. The arrangement scheme for the collection was imposed during processing.
The collection was donated by Robert Foust to the Pell Center for International Relations.
The collection was accessioned by Genna Duplisea, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, in November 2016, and processed by Brittany Fox in June 2017. Additional accruals were processed in 2021.
The Pell Center received additional accruals from the donor in 2021 and transferred them to University Archives and Special Collections.
Related materials concerning Senator Claiborne Pell memorabilia can be found in the Pell Collection in this repository. The Special Collections and Archives at the University of Rhode Island Library holds the Senatorial Papers of Claiborne Pell, which includes records of his service as a United States Senator from 1961 to 1997.