F.
Hastings Griffin Jr. aged 95 died peacefully early Sunday morning
September 18th 2016 at his home in Newtown Square. He was born on
August 26, 1921 in Swarthmore PA to Frank Hastings Griffin and
Priscilla Goodwyn Griffin and he lived in the Philadelphia area his
entire life. He was educated at The Episcopal Academy (class of ’39)
Princeton University (class of ’43) and Harvard Law School (class of
’48) graduating with top scholastic honors. He served as a First
Lieutenant in the Marine Corps during the Second World War and earned
14 battle stars. He entered the law firm of Dechert, Price and Rhoades
in 1948 and in eight years won a partnership and a secure reputation as
a winning trial lawyer. He found time from his busy law practice for
lawn tennis, court tennis and squash, winning 23 national championships
across all three sports. He was a lifelong equestrian who rode to
hounds, and as a youth he won the Puissance Class at The National Horse
Show in Madison Square Garden. He also found time for singing. He was a
Tenor who sang with the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia for 65 years
serving as a member of the executive committee, vice president,
president. He was a member of the Savoy Company of Philadelphia where
he sang leads, served as president and stage directed for 16 seasons.
He was the great grandson of John Tyler, 10th President of the United
States.
Hastings, as he was known, also served as a public servant when in 1962
he was appointed by President Judge Eugene V. Allessandroni as first
assistant to chief prosecutor W. Wilson White in the Court’s corruption
probe of Philadelphia’s City Hall. That introduction into the rough and
tumble politics of Philadelphia was enough to ward him off from
politics for the rest of his life.
He was married to the former Mary Dercum Mifflin for 64 years until her
death in 2006. They had four children, Frank H. Griffin III (deceased),
Elizabeth G. Drake, Mary L. Griffin and Samuel W. M. Griffin. He
married Margaret Slaymaker Dayton in 2007. He is survived by three of
his children, two daughters-in-law (Holly H. Griffin, and Jeffory H.
Griffin) one son-in-law (Van Drake), five grandchildren and eight great
grandchildren.
A celebration of the life of this remarkable man will be held at the
Church of The Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA on Saturday October 22, 2016 at
11:00 am. Internment will be private. In lieu of flowers please help us
honor Hasting's legacy by establishing a memorial scholarship with the
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. Donations can be made through www.mcsf.org.
