David H. Gambrell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David H. Gambrell
David H. Gambrell

In office
January 21, 1971 – November 8, 1972
Preceded by Richard Russell, Jr.
Succeeded by Sam Nunn

Born December 20 1929 ( 1929-12-20) (age 78)
Atlanta, Georgia
Political party Democratic
Spouse Luck Flanders Gambrell

David Henry Gambrell was born in Atlanta, GA, December, 20, 1929. He graduated from Davidson College in 1949, and received his JD, with honors, from Harvard Law School in 1952. He served in the reserves of the United States Army. After serving as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard and then as an associate and partner at the King and Spalding law firm in Atlanta, Gambrell founded Gambrell & Stolz, LLP in 1963. He served as president of the Atlanta Bar Association from 1965 to 1966, and as president of the State Bar of Georgia from 1967 to 1968. He also served in the American Bar Association House of Delegates, on the Board of Editors of the ABA Journal, and as Director of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. In 2002 he received the State Bar of Georgia's Distinguished Service Award and the Atlanta Bar Association, in 2007, honored him with their Leadership Award.

In 1971, upon the death of Richard Russell, Jr., Governor Jimmy Carter appointed Gambrell to the United States Senate where he served during the years 1971 and 1972. While in the Senate he served as a member of the Banking Committee, Aeronautics and Space Committee, and Senate Select Committee on Small Business. Gambrell, a moderate, was defeated in the Democratic Primary in 1972 by Sam Nunn who went on to serve in the Senate for the next twenty-four years. Gambrell sought the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1974, but fared badly, finishing behind Lester Maddox, George Busbee -the eventual winner- and Bert Lance.

Gambrill has also served in a number of public, business and civic activities, including the Directorships of three publicly held corporations, the Visiting Committees of Davidson College, Harvard Law School, Emory University and the Board of Directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as Chairman of the Governors Committee on Post-Secondary Education, as chairman of the Drafting Committee for the Education Article of the Georgia Constitution, as a member on the Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society and as a trustee of the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia. He is retired as a director of American Software, Inc., currently serves as vice-president and director of the Buckhead Coalition, Inc, and is a trustee of the Georgia Legal History Foundation.

He is married to the former Luck Flanders, and has four children: Luck, Henry, Alice, and Mary; and five grandchildren; Dave, Charlotte, Kathleen, Callum, and Duncan.


Preceded by
Richard Russell, Jr.
United States Senator (Class 2) from Georgia
1971 - 1972
Served alongside: Herman Talmadge
Succeeded by
Sam Nunn