Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.

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Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. (October 20, 1910-March 1, 1990) was a citrus magnate and politician from Florida.

Born during a hurricane in Tiger Bay, near Fort Meade, Florida, Griffin studied agriculture at the University of Florida, but left without earning a degree. He began with a 10 acre orange grove, 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 the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans.

Griffin, a conservative Democrat, was a member of the Florida Legislature for 12 years, four in the Florida Senate and eight in the Florida House of Representatives. In 1974, he lost the race for Governor of Florida to Reubin Askew.

Griffin was a generous donor to the University of Florida, and their Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is named for him.

Katherine Harris, currently a United States Representative from Florida, is Griffin's granddaughter. J.D. Alexander, currently a Florida State Senator is his grandson.

[edit] 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, Feb 1989 v77 n2 p46(2).