Carter Attorney General Griffin Bell dies

ATLANTA, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Griffin Bell, who served as former President Jimmy Carter's attorney general, died Monday in an Atlanta hospital at age 90, family members said.

Bell had been suffering from kidney disease, pancreatic cancer and pneumonia, the family told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"Rosalynn and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend Griffin Bell," Carter said in a statement. "A trusted and enduring public figure, Griffin's integrity, professionalism, and charm were greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations."

"He was thinking outside the box before there was a box," said Bob Steed, senior partner at King and Spalding, which Bell shaped into a politically connected law firm with a national client list over six decades.

Bell's political spanned both parties, from serving as an adviser to Georgia Gov. Ernest Vandiver in 1959 to his role as friend and sometimes-lawyer to both presidents Bush. Working with Vandiver in 1960, he devised the Sibley Commission, credited with defusing racial tensions and enabling Georgia to peacefully desegregate its public schools, the Journal-Constitution said.

During his nearly 15 years on bench of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Bell supervised the creation of dozens of school desegregation plans.

As Carter's attorney general, he helped restore the reputation of the Justice Department and push through a law increasing judicial oversight of government wiretapping. He also was credited with the fair and speedy handling of a case in which the Justice Department investigated and cleared Carter.

Bell is preceded in death by his first wife, Mary, who died in 2000. He is survived by his second wife, Nancy, a son, two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.