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Robert P. Griffin | |
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.jpg) Griffinc. mid 1970s | |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office September 24, 1969 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Leader | Hugh Scott |
| Preceded by | Hugh Scott |
| Succeeded by | Ted Stevens |
| United States Senator fromMichigan | |
| In office May 11, 1966 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick McNamara |
| Succeeded by | Carl Levin |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's9th district | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – May 10, 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Ruth Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Guy Vander Jagt |
| Justice of theMichigan Supreme Court | |
| In office January 1, 1987 – January 1, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | G. Mennen Williams |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Weaver |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Paul Griffin (1923-11-06)November 6, 1923 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | April 16, 2015(2015-04-16) (aged 91) Traverse City, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingRichard |
| Education | Central Michigan University (BA) University of Michigan (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Unit | 71st Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Robert Paul Griffin (November 6, 1923 – April 16, 2015) was an American politician from the U.S. state ofMichigan. A member of theRepublican Party, he served in both chambers of theUnited States Congress as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1957 to 1966 and a member of theUnited States Senate from 1966 to 1979 and later served aJustice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1987 to 1995. He co-sponsored theLabor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, which regulates the internal affairs of labor unions. As a deputy minority leader in the Senate, he called on PresidentRichard Nixon, a fellow Republican, to resign during theWatergate scandal.
Griffin was born in Detroit, Michigan, and attended public schools inGarden City andDearborn. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the71st Infantry Division in 1943 and spent fourteen months in Europe. After the war, he graduated fromCentral Michigan University (known in former times as Central Michigan College) inMount Pleasant, Michigan in 1947. He received aJuris Doctor degree from theUniversity of Michigan Law School and was admitted to thebar in 1950. He commenced the practice of law inTraverse City, Michigan.
Griffin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 9th congressional district in 1956, unseating incumbentRuth Thompson in the Republican primary. Griffin served in the House during the85th United States Congress as well as the four succeeding United States Congresses, a period spanning January 3, 1957, until May 10, 1966. After the revelations of theUnited States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management, which investigated corruption and organized crime influence in labor unions, he and United States House of Representatives memberPhillip M. Landrum fromGeorgia sponsored theLabor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act. He later supportedGerald Ford as the Republican Conference Chairman and later, the House Minority Leader.[1] During his tenure in the House, Griffin voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1960 and1964,[2][3] as well as theTwenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and theVoting Rights Act of 1965,[4][5] but did not vote on theCivil Rights Act of 1957.[6]
He resigned May 10, 1966, to take a seat in theUnited States Senate. Following the death of United States Senate memberPatrick V. McNamara,governor of MichiganGeorge W. Romney appointed him to finish McNamara's term. In the1966 election, he won election to a full term, defeating former GovernorG. Mennen Williams by a 56% to 44% margin.[1] He defeated Attorney GeneralFrank J. Kelley in the1972 election for a second term.
In 1968, Griffin led a successfulfilibuster against the nomination ofAssociate Justice Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United StatesAbe Fortas to be elevated to the position ofChief Justice, chargingPresident (and formerSenate Majority Leader)Lyndon B. Johnson withcronyism, noting the close relationship between the two. Fortas resigned his Associate Justice seat in May 1969 when it was discovered Fortas had been paid a $20,000 a year retainer byLouis Wolfson, a close friend and former client, since 1966. Griffin voted in favor of both theCivil Rights Act of 1968 and the confirmation ofThurgood Marshall to theSupreme Court of the United States.[7][8] He became theRepublican Whip in the Senate on September 24, 1969, and served until 1977.[9]
In 1974, he wrote to President Richard Nixon to inform him that if the White House did not release tapes that theUnited States Senate Watergate Committee subpoenaed, the President would face impeachment and trial in the Senate. He also told the President that he considered the failure to comply with the subpoena as an impeachable offense. Up to that point, Griffin had been a supporter of the President.[1]
Griffin was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, narrowly defeated by formerDetroit City Council presidentCarl Levin. He initially announced in April 1977 that he would not run for re-election in 1978, saying that he was tired and that Washington needed new blood. He went on to miss a third of the votes in 1977. He changed his mind later in the campaign and Levin used his own words and his attendance record against him during the campaign.[1][10]
Later, Griffin served as a justice of theMichigan Supreme Court from 1987 to 1994. His son,Richard Allen Griffin, was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1989 to 2005, when he was appointed by President George W. Bush to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
During the elder Griffin's first Senate campaign in 1966, a suburban Detroit rock band, Doug Brown and the Omens, released a promotionalflexi disc in support of Griffin's candidacy. The song, "Give Bob The Ball" (which extolled Griffin's "youth and experience") has been included on thegarage rockcompilation albumFriday At The Hideout.
Griffin was a resident ofTraverse City, Michigan, inNorthern Michigan. He married Marjorie Anderson ofLudington in 1947.[11] Together, they had four children, includingRichard Griffin. Griffin died on April 16, 2015, aged 91.[12][1] He was interred at Linwood Cemetery near Traverse City'sLong Lake.
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