Frank Hastings Griffin

Frank Hastings Griffin (July 16, 1886 – October 14, 1974) invented the double-godet, a special stretch-spinning process that changed artificial silk to rayon. Artificial silk was originally too soft for practical use, but with the double-godet it became usable as rayon in many industrial products such as tire cords and clothing.^[1]

Born in Chester, PA, Griffin graduated from Swarthmore College in 1910, where he was an All-American basketball player. He received his master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in 1967, and an honorary doctorate from Drexel University in 1947.

Griffin worked at American Viscose Corp from 1918 until his retirement, also serving as a director of the Southeast National Bank in Chester, PA, the Delaware County (PA) Chamber of Commerce, the American Insulator Corp, and American Viscose Corp. He was married to Priscilla Tyler Goodwyn of Montgomery Alabama, a great-great granddaughter of President John Tyler. They had four children: Adelle Griffin McCoy Sands, Frank Hastings Griffin, John Tyler Griffin, and Priscilla Griffin Schaefer.

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