Ellen Beatriz Griffin Dunne (January 28, 1932 – January 9, 1997) was an American activist. After the death of her daughter, Dominique Dunne, Dunne founded Justice for Homicide Victims. In 1989, she was recognized for her advocacy work by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

Early life and marriage

Griffin was born on January 28, 1932, on Yerba Buena Ranch outside of Tucson, Arizona. Her parents were Thomas Francis Griffin and Beatriz Sandoval Griffin. Thomas Francis Griffin was a wealthy Irish American industrialist part owner and executive of Griffin Wheel Company of Chicago, Illinois. Her mother Beatriz Sandoval was Mexican American from Nogales, Sonora. She attended Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut,

Briarcliff College Briarcliff College was a women's college in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The school was founded as Mrs. Dow's School for Girls in 1903 at the Briarcliff Lodge. After Walter W. Law donated land and a building for the college, it operated at i ...

, and the University of Arizona, the latter where she studied drama. Griffin met Dominick Dunne in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

. They celebrated their marriage in 1954 at Griffin's family ranch in Arizona and lived in New York City before relocating to Beverly Hills. Of their five children, three survived infancy, including Dominique Dunne and

Griffin Dunne Thomas Griffin Dunne (; born June 8, 1955) is an American actor, film producer, and film director. Dunne studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. He is known for portraying Jack Goodman in '' An Amer ...

. The couple divorced in 1965.

Death of Dominique Dunne and founding of Justice for Homicide Victims

The couple's daughter, actor Dominique Dunne, was murdered by ex-boyfriend John Sweeney at her home in October 1982. He strangled her and attempted to kill himself. Actor David Packer, with whom Dunne was rehearsing for the miniseries '' V'', found Sweeney trying to resuscitate Dunne, before attempting to kill himself by overdosing on pills. Sweeney was arrested and Dunne was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was placed on life support immediately and never recovered. She was removed from life support by her parents on November 4, 1982. On September 21, 1983, Sweeney was acquitted of second-degree murder and instead, he was charged with voluntary manslaughter. Dunne's family protested the verdict as an "injustice." One year later, Dunne and Marcella Leach founded California Center for Family Survivors of Homicide, a victim's rights group. Now known as Justice for Homicide Victims, the organization supports victims of homicide with legal support and navigation, counseling and referrals, and financial assistance. In 1989, Dunne was awarded the Crime Victims Award by

Dick Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and Republican politician who served as the 41st governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the United States attorney general fro ...

. Her work was also recognized by then-President

at the White House.

Later life

Ellen Dunne had

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

starting in the early 1980s. In 1990, she left Beverly Hills and relocated to Nogales, where she built a 5,500-square-foot home on the site of her parents' former ranch. She died on January 9, 1997, 19 days before her 65th birthday; a coincidence that is reminiscent of her daughter's death, 19 days prior to her 23rd birthday.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

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Justice for Homicide Victims
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin Dunne, Ellen 1932 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people People from Nogales, Arizona Miss Porter's School alumni University of Arizona alumni Crime victim advocates Neurological disease deaths in Arizona Deaths from multiple sclerosis American people of Irish descent American activists of Mexican descent