Bob F. Griffin

Bob F. Griffin (also known as Bob Franklin Griffin) (born August 15, 1935) served as Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995—longer than any other speaker in state history.

Griffin was convicted on federal corruption charges in 1998 and had his sentence commuted by Bill Clinton in 2001.

Griffin was born in Braymer, Missouri and received a B.S. in Business Administration in 1957 and his law degree in 1958 from the University of Missouri. He served a stint in the U.S. Air Force judge advocate general corps where he rose rank of captain. In 1962 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Clinton County, Missouri and opened a private law practice in Cameron, Missouri and also served with the Kansas City law firm of Linde Thompson Fairchild Kohn and Vandyke. He was re-elected in 1966.

In 1970 he was elected as a Democrat to the House from the 10th District which included portions of Clay County, Missouri, Clinton, DeKalb County, Missouri and Caldwell County, Missouri.

From 1977 to 1980 he was speaker pro tempore. Griffin, noted for his genial demanor, rose to the Speaker status in 1981—the first speaker from western Missouri since 1955. He increased the number of committees from 36 to 45 and installed several chairmen from western Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri. Griffin would steer numerous projects to western Missouri including the Western Missouri Correctional Center in his hometown in Cameron (located on Pence Rd. on the edge of Cameron).

In 1989 he was accused of steering business to his new Kansas City law firm of Kraft Fridkin and Ryhne. He was challenged for the Speaker position by St. Louis, Missouri Democrat Tony Ribaudo, who would be assigned to a windowless office after losing to Griffin.

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