Ben Hill Griffin Jr. (October 20, 1910 – March 1, 1990) was a prominent American businessman,

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

producer, politician, and philanthropist who was a native and resident of Florida. He was an

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, a former legislator, one-time candidate for governor, and a patron of college sports and higher education in Florida. Several of his grandchildren remain active in Florida politics. Griffin is the subject of the final chapter of

John McPhee John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American writer. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth ...

's work of

creative nonfiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction or literary journalism or verfabula) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contra ...

''Oranges''.

Early life and education

Griffin was born during a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

in the former town of Tiger Bay, near Fort Meade, Florida. He attended Frostproof High School in Frostproof, Florida, where he was responsible for starting the

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

program in 1929. After graduating from high school, Griffin studied economics, marketing, and agriculture at the University of Florida in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

,University of Florida Foundation, Named UF Facilities
B.H. Griffin – W.L. Floyd Hall
Retrieved August 22, 2009. where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi

Fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

(

Alpha Epsilon Alpha Epsilon () is a scholastic honor society recognizing academic achievement among students in the fields of Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering. History Alpha Epsilon Honor Society was founded at the University of Missouri on May ...

chapter).

Citrus and agri-business

In 1933, Griffin left the University of Florida, after three years and without earning a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

, to find a job during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. He unsuccessfully sought work in New York City, then returned home to Frostproof, Florida and began his business with a orange grove, a wedding gift from his father, and built it into a citrus business empire. In 1961, Griffin was named to the board of directors of Atlantic Land & Improvement Company, the land-holding subsidiary of the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

and commonly known as Alico.FundingUniverse.com
Alico, Inc. Company History
Retrieved August 22, 2009. Alico, Inc. became a publicly traded corporation engaged in citrus fruit,

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

and

sod Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

production, cattle ranching, and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

. Griffin acquired a majority of the outstanding stock of Alico in 1972 and became chairman of its board of directors in 1973. Griffin was also chief executive officer of Ben Hill Griffin, Inc., a family-owned business with citrus and other agriculture interests. In 1989, the year before his death, he was ranked 261st on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans.Alfonso A. Narvaez,
Ben Hill Griffin Jr., 79, is Dead; Leader in Florida Citrus Industry
" ''The New York Times'', Section A, Page 18, Column 4 (March 2, 1990). Retrieved August 22, 2009.

Florida politics

Griffin, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, was a member of the

Florida Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...

for twelve years—four years in the Florida Senate and eight years in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

. In 1974, he lost the Democratic primary for

Governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Reubin Askew Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. Trade representative from 1979 ...

Philanthropy

Griffin and his family have been generous donors to higher education in Florida, especially his alma mater, the University of Florida; over the years, he donated more than $20 million to the university and its athletic programs. In 1989,

Florida Field Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (in full Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium),Floyd Hall Floyd Hall (born 4 Sept 1938) is an American business executive and sports team owner. Life and career Hall was born to a modest family in Oklahoma. He left school at the age of 15. He attended Southern Methodist University, but did not graduate. ...

, one of the university's historic academic buildings, was restored due in part to Griffin's donations and was renamed Griffin-Floyd Hall upon its reopening in 1992. For his support of the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

sports programs, Griffin was inducted into the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

as an "honorary

letter winner In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team. Overview The term comes from the practice of awarding each such parti ...

" in 1982. After Griffin's death, Alico, Inc., the company he built into an agribusiness, contributed approximately in

Lee County, Florida Lee County is located in Southwest Florida on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, the population was 760,822. The county seat is Fort Myers (with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census), and the largest city is Cape Coral with an esti ...

for the development of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Florida's tenth state university.

Alico Arena Alico Arena is a multipurpose arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. It is the home of the FGCU Eagles volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams. It holds 4,633 people in basketball configuration. I ...

, FGCU's indoor sports arena, is named for the company. The elementary school in his hometown of Frostproof is also named for Griffin.

Family and legacy

When Griffin died in 1990, he was survived by his wife Eleanor, a son, four daughters, and sixteen grandchildren. Griffin's only son, Ben Hill Griffin, III, carried on his father's family business and served as the CEO of Alico until 2004, and Alico was sold in 2014. Griffin's son continues to serve as the chairman of Ben Hill Griffin, Inc., and one of FGCU's primary academic buildings, Griffin Hall, is named for him. Griffin's grandson and namesake, Ben Hill Griffin, IV, serves as the current president of Ben Hill Griffin, Inc., which is one of the member companies of the

Florida's Natural Florida's Natural Growers (stylized "Florida✾s Natural") is an agricultural cooperative based in Lake Wales, Florida. It is currently owned by over 1,100 grower members. It was the only national orange juice maker that uses only US-grown frui ...

cooperative. Dsg UF Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Inside 20050507

Following in the family footsteps, three of Griffin's grandchildren have served in elected political office in Florida. Republican

Katherine Harris Katherine Harris (born April 5, 1957) is a former American politician. A Republican, Harris served in the Florida Senate from 1994 to 1998, as Secretary of State of Florida from 1999 to 2002, and as a member of the United States House of Represe ...

, a former member of the Florida Senate, former Florida Secretary of State (best known for her role in the disputed 2000 presidential election), and former

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Sarasota, is Griffin's granddaughter. Republican J.D. Alexander, a former member of both the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate, is his grandson. Republican

Baxter Troutman Baxter Troutman is a Winter Haven, Florida Citrus Grower, businessman, and Republican politician who served as the representative for District 66 in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He was first elected to the Flori ...

, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, is also Griffin's grandson. In 1998, a panel of Florida historians and other consultants named Griffin one of the fifty most important Floridians of the twentieth century.''The 50 Most Important Floridians of the 20th Century'', newspaper magazine published by ''The Ledger'', Lakeland, Florida (March 1, 1998).

References