Robert P. Griffin

Robert P. Griffin
United States Senator from Michigan
In office May 11, 1966 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Patrick McNamara
Succeeded by	Carl Levin
Senate Minority Whip
In office September 7, 1969 – January 3, 1977
Leader	Hugh Scott
Preceded by	Hugh Scott
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th district
In office January 3, 1957 – May 11, 1966
Preceded by	Ruth Thompson
Succeeded by	Guy Vander Jagt
Personal details
Born	Robert Paul Griffin (1923-11-06)November 6, 1923 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	Traverse City, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Central Michigan University University of Michigan Law School
Religion	Congregationalist
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1946
Unit	71st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II

Robert Paul Griffin (November 6, 1923 – April 17, 2015) was a Republican U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Early life

Griffin was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended public schools in Garden City and Dearborn. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the 71st Infantry Division in 1943 and spent fourteen months in Europe. After the war, he graduated from Central Michigan College (now Central Michigan University) at Mount Pleasant in 1947. He received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1950. He commenced the practice of law in Traverse City.

Career

Griffin was elected as a Republican to U.S. House of Representatives from the Michigan's 9th congressional district in 1956, unseating incumbent Ruth Thompson in the Republican primary. He served in the Eighty-fifth United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1957, until his resignation May 10, 1966. He was appointed by Governor George Romney on May 11, 1966, to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Patrick V. McNamara.

He was elected November 8, 1966, to a full six-year term, defeating former Governor Soapy Williams by a 56% to 44% margin, commencing January 3, 1967 and was reelected in 1972, winning a tough race against state Attorney General Frank J. Kelley, and served from May 11, 1966, to January 2, 1979. He was Republican Whip 1969–1977.

In 1968, Griffin led a successful filibuster against the nomination of Supreme Court Associate Justice Abe Fortas to be elevated to Chief Justice, charging President (and former Senate Majority Leader) Lyndon B. Johnson with cronyism, noting the close relationship between him and Fortas. Fortas resigned his Associate Justice seat in May 1969 when it was discovered Fortas had been paid a $20,000 a year retainer by Louis Wolfson, a close friend and former client, since 1966.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, narrowly defeated by Democrat Carl Levin. He was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court 1987–1994. His son, Richard Allen Griffin, was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1989 to 2005, until he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2005.

During Griffin's first Senate campaign in 1966, a suburban Detroit rock band, Doug Brown and the Omens, released a promotional flexidisc in support of his candidacy. The song, "Give Bob The Ball" (which extolled Griffin's "youth and experience") has been included on the garage rock compilation album Friday At The Hideout.

Personal life

A resident of Traverse City, Griffin died on April 17, 2015, aged 91.

Bibliography

• Griffin, Robert P. "The Landrum-Griffin Act: Twelve Years of Experience in Protecting Employee Rights." Georgia Law Review 5 (summer 1971): 622–42
• Griffin, Robert P. "Rules and Procedure of the Standing Committees." In We Propose: A Modern Congress, edited by Mary McInnis, pp. 37–53. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966.

External links

• Presentation of the Portrait of the Honorable Robert P. Griffin

• Robert P. Griffin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Ruth Thompson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th congressional district 1957–1966	Succeeded by Guy Vander Jagt
United States Senate
Preceded by Patrick McNamara	United States Senator (Class 2) from Michigan 1966–1979 Served alongside: Philip Hart, Donald Riegle	Succeeded by Carl Levin
Preceded by Hugh Scott	Minority Whip of the United States Senate 1969–1977	Succeeded by Ted Stevens