Lynn B. Griffith (October 30, 1886 – July 18, 1978) was a judge from

Trumbull County, Ohio Trumbull County is a county in the far northeast portion of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 201,977. Its county seat is Warren, which developed industry along the Mahoning River. Trumbull County is part of the You ...

who was elected multiple times to

Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals The Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals is one of the twelve Ohio District Courts of Appeal, the state intermediate appellate courts of Ohio. It has jurisdiction over eight counties: Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoni ...

and was appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court in 1962. Griffith was born in

West Farmington, Ohio West Farmington is a village in northwestern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, along the Grand River. The population was 542 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. Geography According to the United S ...

on October 30, 1886, the son of Herbert F. and Lovira M. (Snyder) Griffith. He attended the Mt. Hermon, Massachusetts Boys School, and graduated from Oberlin Academy in 1906. He graduated from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in 1910, attended

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

1911 to 1913, and graduated from Western Reserve University School of Law in 1914. He was admitted to the bar June of that year. Griffith began a private practice in

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The his ...

in 1914. In 1925 and 1926, he was Warren City Solicitor. He was

prosecuting attorney 1927 and 1928. He faced Clarence Darrow in a bribery case that ended in a hung jury. Darrow would later visit the Griffith farm when passing through Trumbull County. Another house-guest of Griffith was

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

, who died a few days after visiting Griffith. In 1930, Griffith was elected to the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas, and held that seat until 1950. That year,

Governor 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 ...

Frank Lausche appointed Griffith to fill an unexpired term on

. He won re-election in 1954 and 1960. On October 8, 1962, Governor Michael DiSalle appointed Griffith to replace James F. Bell, resigned, on the Ohio Supreme Court. He ran for the unexpired portion of Bell's term in 1964, but was defeated by Louis J. Schneider, Jr. In 1965, Griffith returned to Warren, and practiced with ''Letson, Griffith, Knightlinger and Woodall''. He was active as a lawyer until he died in Warren on July 18, 1978. Griffith married Stata Norton Miller on September 9, 1916. They had three children. He was a member of

Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi () is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the two major law fraternities to charter chapters (senates) in the United States at non-American Bar A ...

, Masonic Order, Knight's Templar,

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

, and was 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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Lynn Bart Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court People from Trumbull County, Ohio 1886 births 1978 deaths Ohio Democrats Oberlin College alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Case Western Reserve University School of Law alumni County district attorneys in Ohio Judges of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals 20th-century American judges