By BECKY HOLLAND

becky.holland@gaflnews.com

americustimesrecorder.com

AMERICUS — Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf once said, “I admire men of character, and I judge character not by how men deal with their superiors, but mostly how they deal with their subordinates, and that to me, is where you find out what the character of a man is.”

In the case of Griffin B. Bell, former U.S. Attorney General, one would find a man of great character, well rounded and truly as Patrick Lyons of The New York Times wrote, “a Southern gentleman of the law.”

Bell died Monday morning, at the age of 90, at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, after a long battle of failing health surrounding complications from pancreatic cancer and kidney disease. According to his granddaughter, Katherine Bell McClure, Bell had developed pneumonia, and had only been recently diagnosed with the cancer. He had been hospitalized in Americus last week, and transferred to Piedmont midweek.

Bell, born on Oct. 3, 1918 in Americus, graduated from Georgia Southwestern College, and the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He served in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps during the mid 1940s. From 1948-1961, he practiced law at King & Spalding. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Bell to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. For over 14 years, Bell served on the Fifth Circuit, and played an integral part in mediation between the court’s factions and the leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement.

In 1976, Bell was nominated by his childhood friend/neighbor, President Jimmy Carter as the 72nd Attorney General of the United States. According to history, Bell was credited with bringing the Department of Justice to the an unprecedented level of professionalism and independence. Bell served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on South Africa. In 1989, he was appointed vice chairman of President George H.W. Bush’s Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform. He also served as counsel to then President Bush during the Iran Contra incident. Mercer University Press recently published Bell’s newest book, “Footnotes to History: A Primer on the American Political Character.”

Former President Jimmy Carter, in a statement released by The Carter Center Monday, said of Bell, “Rosalynn and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend Griffin Bell. A trusted and enduring public figure, Griffin’s integrity, professionalism and charm were greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations. As a World War II veteran, federal appeals court judge, civil rights advocate and U.S. Attorney General in my administration, Griffin made many lasting contributions to his native Georgia and country. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Bob Steed, senior partner at King and Spalding, said in a statement to the Associated Press, that, Bell “was thinking outside the box, before there was a box. This is a great loss for our country and a great loss for our state.”

Jim Gatewood, local attorney, told the Times-Recorder, “Our country, state and town has lost a great citizen and patriot.”

Boyce E. “Stick” Miller III, executive director, Georgia Southwestern Foundation Inc., said to the Times-Recorder, “Judge Bell’s influence on this world, this nation, this state, and this community is immeasurable. His intellect and wit, couples with a ‘down to earth’ philosophy made him approachable, reliable and inspiring.

“He was, perhaps, the most learned man I ever knew, and should have been on the Supreme Court. It was my humble privilege and honor to know him and to call him friend,” said Miller.

George Peagler, Sumter Superior Court judge and fellow quail hunter, said, “What comes to my mind when I think of Griffin Bell was a man for all seasons. He was one who loved and lived every minute of his life.