- Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.
Infobox person
name = Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.
image_size = 150px
birth_date =October 20 ,1910
birth_place =
death_date =March 1 ,1990
death_place =
nationality =United States
alma_mater =University of Florida
known_for = Benefactor of theBen Hill Griffin Stadium
spouse =Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. (
October 20 ,1910 –March 1 ,1990 ) was a citrus magnate and politician fromFlorida .Born during a
hurricane inTiger Bay , nearFort Meade, Florida , Griffin studied agriculture at theUniversity of Florida , but left without earning a degree. He began with a 10-acre orangegrove , a wedding gift from his father, and turned it into a citrus empire. In 1989, the year before his death, he was ranked 261st on theForbes 400 list of richest Americans.Griffin, a conservative Democrat, was a member of the
Florida Legislature for 12 years, four in theFlorida Senate and eight in theFlorida House of Representatives . In 1974, he lost the race forGovernor of Florida toReubin Askew .Griffin was a generous donor to the
University of Florida , and theirBen Hill Griffin Stadium is named after him.Katherine Harris , formerly aUnited States Representative from Florida, is Griffin's granddaughter.J.D. Alexander , currently a Florida State Senator is his grandson.He is a member of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of Pi Kappa Phi.
References
* Alfonso A. Narvaez, "Ben Hill Griffin Jr., 79, Is Dead; Leader in Florida Citrus Industry", "
New York Times ", March 2, 1990, Section A; Page 18, Column 4.
* Tait Trussell, "The last of the citrus barons", "Nation's Business", February 1989, v77 n2 p46(2).External links
* [http://www.theledger.com/static/top50/pages/griffin.html Top 50 Most Important Floridians of the 20th Century] — "
The Ledger "
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