WASHINGTON, D.C. – Incoming Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) released the following statement today following the news of the passing of his colleague, mentor, and esteemed former committee chairman, Senator Claiborne Pell:

"Public service was stamped in Claiborne Pell's DNA. He was a quiet giant and a gentleman to the core, a dignified man who always did what he thought was right. Claiborne Pell will be recorded in history as a leader whose moral compass pointed him to do great things. This was a man born to great privilege whose domestic legacy will always be the Pell Grants which put college within reach for millions who would never have had that chance without his vision. In foreign policy, he was every bit as principled, pushing to end the war in Vietnam and leading the Foreign Relations Committee to support America's rightful place in the world community. The Pell family is in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”

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