Ben Hill Griffin Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Hill Griffin Jr.
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| Born | October 20, 1910 Tiger Bay, Florida
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| Died | March 1, 1990 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Florida |
| Known for | Businessman Citrus Grower politician Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Frances Pearce (m. 1933) Eleanor Frances Wise (m. 1971) |
Ben Hill Griffin Jr. (born October 20, 1910 – died March 1, 1990) was an important American businessman. He grew a lot of citrus fruits in Florida. He was also a politician and gave a lot of money to good causes.
Ben Hill Griffin Jr. was born and lived in Florida his whole life. He went to the University of Florida. He also served in the government and even ran for governor once. He was a big supporter of college sports and education in Florida. Many of his grandchildren are still involved in Florida politics today.
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Early Life and School
Ben Hill Griffin Jr. was born during a hurricane in a town called Tiger Bay. This town was near Fort Meade, Florida.
He went to Frostproof High School in Frostproof, Florida. While there, he helped start the school's high school football team in 1929. After high school, he studied business and farming at the University of Florida. This university is in Gainesville, Florida. He was also part of a college club called Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.
Building a Citrus Business
In 1933, Ben Hill Griffin Jr. left the University of Florida. He left after three years and did not finish his degree. He needed to find a job during the Great Depression, a time when jobs were very hard to find.
He looked for work in New York City but didn't find anything. So, he went back home to Frostproof, Florida. He started his own business with a 10-acre orange grove. This grove was a wedding gift from his father. From this small start, he built a huge business that grew and sold citrus fruits.
In 1961, Griffin joined the board of directors for a company called Alico. Alico, Inc. grew into a big company that sold shares to the public. This means anyone could buy a part of the company. Alico grew citrus fruit, sugarcane, and sod. They also raised cattle and managed forests.
Griffin bought most of Alico's shares in 1972. He became the head of the company in 1973. He was also the main boss of Ben Hill Griffin, Inc. This was his family's business, which also focused on citrus and other farming. In 1989, the year before he passed away, he was named one of the richest people in America.
Giving Back to the Community
Ben Hill Griffin Jr. and his family gave a lot of money to schools in Florida. They were especially generous to his old school, the University of Florida. Over the years, he gave more than $20 million to the university. This money also helped their sports teams.
In 1989, the university's football stadium was officially renamed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. This stadium is where the Florida Gators football team plays.
Another building at the university, Floyd Hall, was fixed up thanks to Griffin's donations. It was renamed Griffin-Floyd Hall when it reopened in 1992. Because he supported the Florida Gators sports so much, Griffin was honored in the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982.
After Griffin died, Alico, Inc., the company he built, gave about 760 acres of land. This land was used to build Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). This was Florida's tenth state university. The indoor sports arena at FGCU, called Alico Arena, is named after the company. Also, the elementary school in his hometown of Frostproof is named after him.
Family and Lasting Impact
When Ben Hill Griffin Jr. died in 1990, he had a wife, a son, four daughters, and sixteen grandchildren. His only son, Ben Hill Griffin, III, continued the family business. He was the CEO of Alico until 2004. Alico was later sold in 2014.
Ben Hill Griffin, III, still leads Ben Hill Griffin, Inc. One of the main buildings at FGCU, Griffin Hall, is named after him. Ben Hill Griffin, IV, who is Griffin's grandson and shares his name, is now the president of Ben Hill Griffin, Inc. This company is part of the Florida's Natural cooperative, which is famous for its orange juice.
Following in their family's footsteps, three of Griffin's grandchildren have held elected political jobs in Florida.
- Katherine Harris, his granddaughter, was a Florida Senator. She was also the Florida Secretary of State and a United States Representative from Sarasota.
- J.D. Alexander, his grandson, was a member of both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.
- Baxter Troutman, another grandson, was also a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
In 1998, a group of Florida historians and experts named Ben Hill Griffin Jr. one of the fifty most important Floridians of the twentieth century.
