For preservation purposes, most records were removed from their frames and are now stored in archival, acid-free folders. However, a select few remain untouched, as the frame contributes to the integrity of the piece. Some records also have corresponding items, such as a description for a photo, an illustration or a letter attached to a certificate or award.
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.
Any qualified person doing scholarly research is permitted to use material housed in the Special Collections Unit.
Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Claiborne Pell Senatorial Papers, Realia, Mss. Gr. 71.7, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
The Realia series consists of framed certificates, photographs, awards, paintings and sketches that Senator Pell received from various groups, organizations and institutions. These entities include several presidents and other ranking government or military officials as well as universities and colleges from across the country. Others are small and large groups, presenting an award to Pell for numerous reasons usually related to medical and educational crusades. In many cases the same individuals would honor Pell multiple times over the years.
The records cover the years 1870 through 2002, though some illustrations and maps date back to the late 19th century. Many pieces are missing exact dates, some without any indication of age. Subjects include awards for public service and the education of the community, a multitude of honorary degrees, and other pieces of recognition for Pell’s service. The photographs are typically of Pell with other important public figures or of ships with personal or professional meaning to him. There were also a significant number of political cartoons and illustrations included, most of which included Pell as a main subject.
The records are arranged into the following series:
The Senatorial Papers of Claiborne Pell 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 records were processed by Ashley August and Mark Dionne in 2013.
The materials related to this collection can be found in the Pell Family Papers and Pre-Senate subgroups.
The series contains framed certificates, photographs, awards, paintings and sketches that Senator Pell received from various groups, organizations and institutions. These entities include several presidents and other ranking government or military officials as well as universities and colleges from across the country. Others are small and large groups, presenting an award to Pell for numerous reasons usually related to medical and educational crusades. In many cases the same individuals would honor Pell multiple times over the years.
The records cover the years 1870 through 2002, though some illustrations and maps date back to the late 19th century. Many pieces are missing exact dates, some without any indication of age. Subjects include awards for public service and the education of the community, a multitude of honorary degrees, and other pieces of recognition for Pell’s service. The photographs are typically of Pell with other important public figures or of ships with personal or professional meaning to him. There were also a significant number of political cartoons and illustrations included, most of which included Pell as a main subject.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The records consist of framed and unframed certificates awarded to Senator Pell from various organizations including business entities, constituent groups and educational institutions.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The records consist of photographs. Some folders may contain corresponding negative strips. Subjects Pell photographs with Presidents and colleagues, family photographs, and campaign photographs.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The records consist of political resolutions and proclomations passed by Congress and Rhode Island state legislators.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The records consist of wood, metal, stone and acrylic plaques, as well as three dimensional awards and gifts of recognition given to Senator Pell over the course of his tenure in the United States Senate.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.