G. Wayne Miller

A Very Different Senator:

The authorized biography of Claiborne Pell

Publication due in late 2010

With 36 years in the U.S. Senate (16th longest ever) and a long list of legislative accomplishments that included the Pell Grant college-assistance program, establishment of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, fast-speed passenger rail service, and a ban on nuclear testing on the ocean floor, the late Claiborne Pell had few equals. But he was much more than that -- a quirky and colorful man born into great wealth who spent most of his life in service to the people, a true example of noblesse oblige. Pell was a politician of unfailing courtesy, even during contentious times, a skilled legislator who worked both sides of the aisle with dignity and grace -- imagine that today, in the Joe Wilson/Glenn Beck era. A VERY DIFFERENT SENATOR (working title), by G. Wayne Miller with the cooperation of the Pell family, is the first and only book about his life. Due in 2010.

I am looking for stories about Senator Pell. If you have one you'd like to share, please CONTACT ME.

Follow the writing of the book and see never-before-published letters, photos and more, on the Claiborne Pell biography blog.

Join the Facebook Claiborne Pell biography page.

See reviews, interviews, appearances and more about A VERY DIFFERENT SENATOR.

Welcome aboard, Linda Henderson! My longtime friend and enormous help in every one of my non-fiction books, Linda over a long and successful career has specialized in online, library and archives research and she has signed on to help with the Pell bio.

For some background on Pell, read my April 10, 2005 Providence Journal story, "A Remarkable Life," about Nuala and Caiborne and their family, published when the senator, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease, was 87. Some nice selections from the Pell family scrapbook are here, too.