By BECKY HOLLAND

becky.holland@gaflnews.com

americustimesrecorder.com

AMERICUS — General 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.”