Claiborne deBorda Pell was born on November 22, 1918 in New York City to Matilda Bigelow Pell and Herbert Claiborne Pell. The Pell family lineage includes five members of Congress and George Mifflin Dallas, who was Vice President to President James Polk, 1845-1849. Senator Pell’s father served as a United States Congressman from New York, 1919-1921, as well as Minister to Portugal, 1937-1941, Minister to Hungary, 1941-1942, and a United States Representative to the United Nations War Crimes Commission 1943-1945.
Senator Pell attended St. Georges High School in Middletown, Rhode Island, graduated from Princeton University in 1940, and received a Masters degree from Columbia University in 1946. He joined the United States Coast Guard four months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II. Senator Pell continued his service after the war and attained the rank of Senior Captain in 1978.
After graduating from Columbia University, Pell participated in the San Francisco Conference that culminated in the creation of the United Nations and established the United States Consulate General in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia after the communists seized control of that nation. Senator Pell then served as a State Department Foreign Service Officer stationed in Eastern Europe and Italy for seven years.
After leaving the Foreign Service, Pell served as Vice President for the International Rescue Committee. He was stationed in Austria and assumed responsibility for assisting refugees from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. During this time, Pell was arrested and placed in jail by agents from three fascist governments and three communist governments. In 1959, President Eisenhower appointed Pell to the delegation meeting on the International Maritime Consultative Organization. Senator Pell has received more than 20 decorations for his service including the Presidential Citizens Medal.
In 1960, Senator Pell was elected to the United States Senate and served for the next six terms as the Senator from Rhode Island until his retirement in 1996. He won his first Senate race by the largest plurality of that time and is the longest serving Senator in Rhode Island’s history. He has served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Education. Senator Pell also served as ranking member on the Labor and Welfare Committee, Rules and Administration Committee, Executive Committee on the Environment and Energy Study, as well as the Special Committee on Aging, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Libraries and Museums.
Senator Pell’s appointments included being Senate Advisor to the United States delegation to the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, delegate to the 25th United Nations General Assembly (1970), Senate Advisor to the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT), and a member of the Commission on Improving the Effectiveness of the United Nations. Senator Pell also played a principle role in outlawing the placement of weapons of massive destruction on the seabed and to ensure international cooperation in protection of the environment.
Senator Pell was the principal sponsor of the 1965 legislation creating the National Endowment for Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He authored the National Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966 which provides annual funding for oceanographic studies. He is also the author of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants (renamed Pell Grants in 1980), that eliminate financial barriers to higher education. He was a driving force in the Senate to establish the International Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty aimed at reducing nuclear weapons, in addition to authoring legislation banning the manufacture and use of biological weapons.
Senator Pell also served as a member of the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving and was the original Senate advocate for tougher penalties against those caught driving while intoxicated. He also authored the High Speed Ground Transportation Act aimed at improving rail service including the establishment of a continuous electrification infrastructure between Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston.
Senator Pell passed away on January 1, 2009. In addition to his wife Nuala, Senator Pell is survived by his son, Christopher T. H. Pell of Newport, his daughter Dallas Pell of New York, his five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
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Claiborne Pell Senatorial Papers, Correspondence, Mss. Gr. 71.6, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
The Correspondence series consist of correspondence between Senator Pell and members of the United States Congress, as well as Executive Administration officials.
The records are arranged into the following series:
Claiborne Pell Senatorial Papers were deposited to the University of Rhode Island by Senator Pell from 1976-2012. The Papers were gifted by Mrs. Pell in April 2012.
The records were kept by Senator Pell’s Washington and Providence offices before being transferred to the University of Rhode Island.
The collection was processed by Mark Dionne in 2006.
The materials related to this collection can be found in the Pell Family Papers and Pre-Senate subgroups.
The series consists of correspondence between Senator Pell and his colleagues in the United States Senate. Subjects include civil rights legislation, ocean treaties, foreign policy, education, arts and humanities. The folders containing the Hubert Humphrey records also contain documents during the period he was Vice President of the United States.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series consists of correspondence between Senator Pell and his colleagues in the United States Senate. The records include courtesy letters, notes, memoranda, reports, speeches, press releases, news articles, and legislation. Subjects include civil rights legislation, ocean treaties, foreign policy, education, arts and humanities.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The Series contains records regarding correspondence between Senator Pell and the Executive Branch of governement during the years 1980-1996. The records include correspondence with various departments, commissions, agencies and administrations within the federal government. Subjects include civil rights, education, foreign policy, military budget, environment, labor, and fiscal policy.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The Series contains records regarding correspondence between Senator Pell and the Executive Branch of governement during the years 1980-1996. The records include correspondence with various departments, commissions, agencies and administrations within the federal government. Subjects include civil rights, education, foreign policy, military budget, environment, labor, and fiscal policy.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains correspondence from friends, colleagues, government officials and foreign leaders. Records include correspondence, letters, invitations and memoranda.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject and name.
The series contains correspondence from colleaugues, constituents, government officials, family members and friends. Records include official correspondence, letters, reports, and memoranda.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by last name.
The series contains correspondence from colleaugues, constituents, government officials, family members and others. Records include official correspondence, letters and memornanda.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by last name.
The series contains correspondence from Rhode Island and out of state constituents. Records include correspondence, letters and news clippings sent by constituents.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject and name.
The series contains correspondence from friends, colleagues, government officials and foreign leaders. Records include correspondence, letters, invitations and memoranda.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject and name.
The series consists of correspondence between Senator Pell and his colleagues in the United States Senate. The records include courtesy letters, notes, memoranda, reports, speeches, press releases, news articles, and legislation. Subjects include civil rights legislation, ocean treaties, foreign policy, education, arts and humanities.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains correspondence from friends, colleagues, government officials and foreign leaders. A large number of the correspondence congratulate Pell on his retirement. Records include correspondence, letters, invitations and memoranda.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by name.
The series contains correspondence from Pell's time as representative to the United Nations, Foreign Service officer in eastern Europe, and member of the Democratic National Committee. Records include correspondence, letters, invitations, reports and memoranda.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The Series contains records regarding correspondence between Senator Pell and the Executive Branch of governement. The records include correspondence with various departments, commissions, agencies and administrations within the federal government. Subjects include civil rights, education, foreign policy, military budget, environment, labor, and fiscal policy.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains congratulatory correspondence from colleagues on his retirement from the United States Senate, as well as organizations that Pell was involved with in his post-senate years.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains correspondence with Pell's colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains correspondence with Pell's colleagues in the Rhode Island General Assembly and Administration.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains correspondence with Rhode Island Governors, as well as Governors Bill Clinton and Mario Cuomo.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The series contains constituent and general correspondence organized chronologically.
The folders are arranged chronologically.