( CNN ) -- Griffin Bell , who served as attorney general in the Carter administration , has died , according to the Carter Center in Atlanta , Georgia . He was 90 . Griffin Bell is sworn in as attorney general in January 1977 . Former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement saying that he and former first lady Rosalynn Carter were deeply saddened by Bell 's death . `` A trusted and enduring public figure , Griffin 's integrity , professionalism , and charm were greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations , '' Carter said . `` 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 . '' The son of a south Georgia cotton farmer , Bell passed the Georgia bar exam while still a student in law school , according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia . He went on to help build the prominent Atlanta law firm King and Spalding , and then to serve as the nation 's top legal officer . He was a chairman of John F. Kennedy 's 1960 presidential campaign , and Kennedy appointed him to the 5th U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals in 1961 . As a federal judge , Bell was involved in desegregation rulings in the 1960s , and he became known as a moderate legal voice in the South . Fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter nominated Bell as attorney general in 1976 . He was confirmed shortly after Carter 's inauguration but only after sometimes difficult Senate hearings . Bell 's memberships in private segregated clubs and some of his decisions as a federal judge became issues . He was confirmed in January 1977 by a Senate vote of 75 to 21 . Bell 's tenure as attorney general followed the Watergate era , and he was credited with helping restore public confidence in the Justice Department during the late 1970s . Bell resigned as attorney general in 1979 to return to private law practice in Atlanta with King and Spalding . He resurfaced in the public eye periodically , including in 2004 when he was listed among Georgia Democrats who endorsed President George W. Bush for re-election . Also in 2004 , he co-authored an independent study ordered by FBI Director Robert Mueller of the FBI 's internal disciplinary procedures . The report sharply criticized the FBI and called its methods for determining punishments for its agents `` seriously flawed . ''
President Jimmy Carter nominated Griffin Bell as attorney general in 1976 . Bell credited with helping restore confidence in Justice Department in late 1970s . His ` ` integrity , professionalism , and charm '' valued across party lines , Carter said . In 2004 , he was listed among the Dems who endorsed Bush for re - election .