Bob F. Griffin 1935 - 2021
Columbia, MO - Former Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, Bob F. Griffin, 85, of Columbia passed away July 7, 2021, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Missouri. Bob was born August 15, 1935, in Braymer, Missouri, the son of Ben Franklin and Mildred (Cowan) Griffin. He was educated in the Braymer and Breckinridge Elementary Schools and graduated from Cameron High School in 1953. Bob came from very humble beginnings and often reminisced about his first job as a young lad was manually setting up bowling pins at the local bowling alley. Bob attended college at Mizzou. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration (1957) and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in law (1959) from the University of Missouri at Columbia. On August 18, 1957, he married the love (and golfing partner) of his life, Linda Charlotte Kemper of Cameron.
Upon graduation from Mizzou, Bob served in the United States Air Force as a member of the Judge Advocate Generals’ Department. He served in Colorado Springs, CO and was subsequently deployed to Iceland. Bob fondly remembered his job in Iceland was to represent our soldiers; keep them out of trouble and most importantly keep them out of jail. He received an honorable discharge in 1962 with the rank of Captain.
Upon leaving the military he returned to his hometown of Cameron, MO, and was elected Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney in 1963 and served in that position for eight years. In 1970, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives by the citizens of the 10th District and served in that capacity until 1996. His legislative district included Clinton County and portions of the counties of Caldwell, Clay, and Dekalb. During that time, he brought countless improvements to his district, including the Cameron Correctional Center and Cameron Veterans Home.
By this time in his career, his leadership qualities, and ability to relate and work with people from all political persuasions became evident. Bob was elected Speaker Pro-Tem of the Missouri House in 1977, a position he held for four years.
Following his 4-year run as Speaker Pro-Tem, Bob was elected Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives in 1981. During his tenure he brought Missouri such significant achievements as the Excellence in Education Act, the Outstanding Schools Act, the Linked Deposit Loan Program, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. He shepherded legislation that facilitated establishment of family courts and enterprise zones, mandated child safety restraints in vehicles, created “Bright Flight” college scholarships, improved tax collection processes as well as tort reform, welfare reform, workers compensation reform, landmark legislation in the fight against AIDS, and a bond issue for new higher education buildings and prisons. Bob still holds the historically unprecedented record of being the longest serving Speaker (1981-1996) in Missouri history.
Another often overlooked but notable achievement during his years as Speaker, was the fact that he significantly increased the role of women in the legislative process by appointing many of them as committee chairs, positions previously held exclusively by men. Bob made huge improvements in the resources and operation of the House of Representatives as well as expanding the appropriations process to involve a full one half of the House membership.
During his legislative career, Bob served as Chairman of the Midwestern Legislative Conference and was a member of the Executive Committees of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of State Governments, the State Leaders’ Foundation, and the Missouri State Democratic Party. He was named the Statesman of the Year by the Robert C. Goshorn Foundation in 1990. He was also instrumental in establishing the Hall of Famous Missourians and brought the National Speakers Conference to Missouri. Throughout his legislative career, Bob maintained the Cameron law firm of Griffin Griffin and Luckenbill and later Griffin Griffin and Poland. He was also of counsel to the Kansas City law firms of Lynde Thompson Fairchild Kohn & Vandyke, Polsinelli White Vardeman & Shalton, and Kraft Fridkin & Ryhne.
His numerous civic and professional affiliations included membership in the Cameron United Methodist Church, Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, the Missouri and American Bar Associations, and the University of Missouri Order of the Coif.
Family always came first to Bob, and he would make may sacrifices during his life to ensure his loved ones were well taken care of. Bob is preceded in death by his wife Linda, son Jeff, brother Melvin, and sister Helen Jones. Survivors include one daughter Julie Lynn Wesley (Rick) of Columbia; one brother Craig Griffin (Jan); one sister Lois Kelly; four grandchildren Charlotte Anne Taylor (Alex), Rachel Lynne Wesley, Jackson Tyler Wesley, Madison Rae Griffin and Grace Elizabeth Griffin; and one great grandchild Griffin Ryder Quinlan.
A graveside service for Bob and Linda will be held at Cameron Memory Gardens Cemetery, Cameron, MO. Afterwards, a Celebration of Life, (visiting and sharing stories) from 2:00- 4:00 PM at the Cameron Community Building, 915 N. Ashland Dr. Both will be held September 11 in Cameron, MO.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to: Cameron Veterans Home, Linda's Precious Pets Cameron Animal Care or Cameron's Veteran's Memorial Golf Course
Online condolences may be made at www.polandthompson.com.
Arrangements under the direction of Poland-Thompson Funeral Home, Cameron, Missouri.
