42 Facts About Claiborne Pell

Claiborne Pell 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.

Claiborne Pell was born on November 22,1918, in New York City, the son of Matilda Bigelow and diplomat and congressman Herbert Pell.

Claiborne Pell was close to his stepfather, who died when Claiborne Pell was 22.

Claiborne Pell attended St George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island, and graduated with an Bachelor of Arts in history from Princeton University in 1940.

Claiborne Pell then served as private secretary for his father, who was United States Ambassador to Portugal.

Claiborne Pell drove trucks carrying emergency supplies to prisoners of war in Germany, and was detained several times by the Nazi government.

Claiborne Pell enlisted in the US Coast Guard as a seaman second class on August 12,1941, four months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Claiborne 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.

Claiborne Pell was promoted to lieutenant on October 1,1942, and then to lieutenant in May 1943.

Claiborne Pell was sent home for recuperation during the summer of 1944, but returned to active service later in the war.

Claiborne Pell was discharged from active duty on September 5,1945.

Claiborne Pell attained the rank of captain and retired in 1978.

In December 1944, Claiborne Pell married Nuala O'Donnell, daughter of Charles Oliver O'Donnell and Josephine Hartford.

Claiborne Pell's grandson Clay Pell was an unsuccessful contender in the 2014 Democratic primary for Governor of Rhode Island.

In 1945, Claiborne Pell was a participant in the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco that drafted the United Nations Charter.

In 1954 Claiborne Pell was appointed vice president and member of the board of directors of the International Fiscal Corporation.

Claiborne Pell served as a vice president and director of the North American Newspaper Alliance.

Claiborne Pell was a director of the Franklin D Roosevelt Foundation, Fort Ticonderoga Association, and General Rochambeau Commission of Rhode Island.

Claiborne Pell served as a fundraiser and consultant for the Democratic National Committee.

Claiborne Pell served as Vice President of the International Rescue Committee.

In 1960, Pell won the seat of retiring US Senator Theodore Francis Green, defeating former Governor Dennis J Roberts and former Governor and US Senator J Howard McGrath in the Democratic primary, and former Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Raoul Archambault in the general election.

Claiborne Pell won reelection five times, including victories over Ruth M Briggs, John Chafee, James G Reynolds, Barbara Leonard, and Claudine Schneider.

When Briggs called him a "creampuff" during their 1966 campaign, Claiborne Pell turned that to his advantage and mocked Briggs by obtaining an endorsement from a local baker's union.

Claiborne 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.

Claiborne Pell denied the allegation and there were no police records, witness statements or other sources to corroborate Winter-Berger.

Early in his Senate tenure, Claiborne 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.

Claiborne Pell was largely responsible for the creation of "Basic Educational Opportunity Grants" in 1973, renamed Claiborne Pell Grants in 1980, to provide financial aid funds to US college students.

Claiborne Pell was the main sponsor of the bill that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, 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.

Claiborne Pell served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1995.

In 1996, his last full year in the Senate, Claiborne Pell voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned the federal government from legally recognizing same-sex marriage.

Claiborne Pell declined to seek re-election in 1996 and retired on January 3,1997.

Claiborne Pell served in the Senate for thirty-six continuous years, making him the longest-serving US Senator in the history of Rhode Island.

Claiborne Pell occasionally attended public functions of organizations with which he was affiliated.

Claiborne Pell was a distinguished visiting professor at Salve Regina University.

Claiborne Pell's funeral was held at Trinity Church in Newport.

Claiborne Pell was buried at St Columba's Episcopal Church in Middletown, Rhode Island, near the graves of his son Herbert and his daughter Julia, who had predeceased him.

In 1987 Claiborne 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.

In 1988, Claiborne 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 Claiborne Pell Grant Program.

Claiborne Pell was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.

Claiborne Pell received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy.

Claiborne Pell was a member of the Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati.

Claiborne Pell was an honorary life member of the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars as well as a member of Spouting Rock Beach Association and the Newport Reading Room.