JAMES S. GRIFFIN:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Griffin, James S. (James Stafford), 1917-2002. | |
| Title: | James S. Griffin papers. | |
| Dates: | 1920-1998 (bulk 1945-1991). | |
| Abstract: | Newspaper clippings, articles, general correspondence, and subject files documenting the career of a member of the St. Paul police force, the city's first Black deputy police chief, and St. Paul School Board member. | |
| Quantity: | 0.6 cubic feet (1 box and 1 oversize folder). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
James Griffin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1917 and grew up in the city's largely African American Rondo neighborhood. He was a talented athlete, playing on the all-city basketball team in 1945 and going on to serve as a basketball and football official for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1941 Griffin was hired as a patrolman in the St. Paul Police Department, and over the ensuing 30 years he worked his way up the administrative chain, battling several instances of discrimination along the way. He was made a sergeant in 1955 and a captain in 1970. In 1972 he was appointed a deputy police chief, the first African American to hold that position in St. Paul. He retired from the police force in 1983.
Griffin joined the Navy in 1942 and served overseas during World War II. While in West Virginia following the war, he met and married Edna Smoot and briefly attended West Virginia State College. He later attended college at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University, and received his bachelor's degree from Metropolitan State University (Minn.).
In 1973 Griffin was elected to the St. Paul school board, and served in that capacity until 1990. He also served on the board of directors of the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and was active in the NAACP, the American Legion, and many other organizations. Griffin received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Concordia College (St. Paul) in 1988. He died in St. Paul in December 2002.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The papers contain information on Griffin’s career with the police department, his school board service, information on Black activities in St. Paul, on the dedication of the James S. Griffin Stadium at St. Paul Central High School (1988), and on the World War II Black Navy Veterans of Great Lakes (1990), of which Griffin was a member.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. James S. Griffin Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,708; 15,307; 15,719; 16,679
Processing Information:
Processed by: Lynn Leitte, 2002
Additions by: David B. Peterson, September 2012
Catalog ID number: 001715838
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1679 | 1 | My Life in the Service, 1945. | |||||||||
| A diary kept by Griffin while in the United States Navy. | |||||||||||
| Newspaper articles by Griffin, 1975-1989. | |||||||||||
| Newspaper clippings about Griffin, 1945-1998. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Newspaper clippings about Blacks in Minnesota, 1970-1990. | |||||||||||
| Photographs, circa 1935-1983. | |||||||||||
| Subject files: | |||||||||||
| Brownfield Follies of 1935 materials, 1934. | |||||||||||
| Includes photograph of Bill Griffin (d. 1935), James' older brother, who wrote, directed, and performed in this musical variety production, which was staged at the Hallie Q. Brown Community House. Also includes a printed program and newspaper reviews. | |||||||||||
| Saint Paul Police Department, 1959-1983. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes Griffin's articles about Black policemen in St. Paul, his department resume, and materials on his retirement. Includes an undated photographic montage of St. Paul policemen who served in U.S. armed forces during World War II. | |||||||||||
| Saint Paul School Board, 1974-1991. | |||||||||||
| World War II Black Navy Veterans of Great Lakes, 1991. | |||||||||||
| Dedication of the James S. Griffin Stadium, St. Paul Central High School, 1988. | |||||||||||
| Includes programs, transcript of Griffin's address, and photographs. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1920, 1931-1998. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes many printed programs from social events in which Griffin played a prominent role, as well as events (mostly 1930s)--including amateur drama--in which other Griffin family members were involved. Also includes ephemera from Griffin's 1952 campaign as a DFL candidate for state representative. | |||||||||||
| +276 | Oversize materials: | ||||||||||
| Campaign poster, [1948]. | |||||||||||
| Griffin was a candidate for the 38th District South seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. | |||||||||||
| Handbill, [circa 1938]. | |||||||||||
| A newsprint handbill advertising the Colored House of Davids basketball team, which included Griffin. | |||||||||||
| Navy photograph, 1946. | |||||||||||
| Features Griffin and the other men in his unit; taken at the U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. | |||||||||||
| Newspaper clippings, undated and 1945. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- African-American police -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- African-American veterans -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- African-Americans.
- School board members -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- School boards -- African American membership -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- Veterans -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- Place:
- Rondo (Saint Paul, Minn.).
- Saint Paul (Minn.).
- Organizations:
- Central High School (Saint Paul, Minn.).
- Saint Paul (Minn.). Department of Police.
- Organizations:
- Saint Paul Public Schools. Board of Education.
- United States. Navy -- African-Americans.
- World War II Black Navy Veterans of Great Lakes.
- Types of Documentation:
- Diaries.
- Photographs.
- Occupation:
- Policemen.
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