Floyd L. Griffin Jr. (born May 24, 1944) is an American politician who served as the mayor of

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to buil ...

, from 2001 to 2005, and in the Georgia State Senate from the 25th district from 1995 to 1999, as a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He sought the Democratic Party's nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1998 and Georgia Secretary of State in 2022.

Early life and career

Floyd L. Griffin Jr. earned an

Associate of Science An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

in funeral service from Gupton-Jones College, a Bachelor of Science from the Tuskegee Institute in building construction, and a master's degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in contract procurement and management. He served in the United States Army and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College and the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

. Griffin flew combat helicopters missions during the Vietnam War. As an officer, Griffin taught

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

at Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University. He also coached the offensive backfield for the

Winston-Salem State Rams The Winston-Salem State Rams are the athletic teams that represent Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Rams compete as members of the Central Intercollegiate Ath ...

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

team. Griffin retired from the Army in 1990 at the rank of colonel. He took over the family business, Slater's Funeral Home.

Political career

In the 1994 elections, Griffin ran against Wilbur Baugh for the 25th district in the Georgia State Senate. Griffin defeated Baugh in a

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

and was elected to the state senate without Republican opposition. He became the first African American to win a majority Caucasian district in the Georgia State Senate since the end of the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. In 1998, Griffin ran for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Griffin finished the primary election in fifth place. He ran to reclaim his seat in the Georgia Senate in the 2000 elections, but lost. He was elected mayor of Milledgeville in the 2001 election, and was sworn in on January 1, 2002. He served as mayor until 2006; Griffin lost reelection to Richard Bentley in the 2005 election. Griffin published an autobiography, ''Legacy to Legend: Winners: Make it Happen'', in 2009. He ran for the 25th district seat in the Georgia Senate in 2010, and lost to Johnny Grant. Griffin ran for mayor of Milledgeville in the 2015 election, but lost to Gary Thrower by 35 votes. He ran for the 145th district of the Georgia House of Representatives in the 2016 elections, and faced Rick Williams, who is also a funeral director. Griffin lost the election to Williams. Griffin served as an at-large delegate at the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...

. In May 2021, the city of Milledgeville dedicated a street in Griffin's honor. Griffin announced his candidacy for Georgia Secretary of State in the 2022 elections. Griffin was eliminated in the primary election, as

Bee Nguyen Bee Nguyen (born July 18, 1981) is an American nonprofit executive and politician serving as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 89th district. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected during a special election in D ...

and

Dee Dawkins-Haigler Dee Dawkins-Haigler (; January 31, 1970) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A Democrat, she was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives representing the state's 91st district from 2008 until 2017. She has also ru ...

advanced to a runoff election. Griffin has filed to run for Georgia’s newly reconfigured State House District 149 in 2024. The district was reconfigured as a result of a federal judge’s ruling that declared some current state house districts in Georgia deprive African- Americans communities of electing a candidate amongst themselves due to gerrymandering by the state’s Republican majority legislature. The district is projected to favor the Democratic Party, and contains portions of: Baldwin, Jones & Bibb Counties.

Personal life

Griffin and his wife, Nathalie, have two children.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Floyd Living people 1944 births People from Milledgeville, Georgia Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Tuskegee Institute alumni Florida Institute of Technology alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) National War College alumni United States Army officers American military personnel of the Vietnam War Wake Forest University faculty Winston-Salem State Rams football coaches Winston-Salem State University faculty African-American people in Georgia (U.S. state) politics