In 1966 he took a two-year sabbatical to work as a special assistant on oceanography and foreign affairs for Senator Claiborne Pell.
He was the brother of William Charles Cole Claiborne, the nephew of Thomas Claiborne, the uncle of John Francis Hamtramck Claiborne and the great-great-great granduncle Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs and Claiborne de Borda Pell.
The Pell family lived in this area until the Revolutionary War and has remained prominent to the present, with family members including U.S. Ambassador Herbert Pell and U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell.
Claiborne Avenue | Claiborne Parish | George Pell | Claiborne Fox Jackson | John Pell | Craig Claiborne | William Claiborne | Pell James | Claiborne Pell | Claiborne County | William C. C. Claiborne | Sarah Jane Pell | Herbert Pell | E. Claiborne Robins Stadium | Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge | Claiborne County, Mississippi | Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler | Vere Claiborne Chappell | Thomas Pell | Pell's World | Pell's equation | Laurence Claiborne Witten II | Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe | Dave Pell | Corrine Claiborne "Lindy" Boggs | Clement Claiborne Clay | Claiborne, Maryland | Claiborne | Axel Rudi Pell |
The Herbert Claiborne Pell Cup, established in 1958, is presented by the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, of Newport, Rhode Island, to the winning Challenger for the America's Cup.