Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

munity, Mr. Griffin holds a foremost place,
and his achievements are the just reward
of a well-spent, industrious and upright
life.
GRIFFIN, Fred B.,
Tobacco Grower and Packer.
From a clerkship in an obscure country
store to a position of prominence among
the leading growers and packers of Con-
necticut tobacco is the distance travelled
within a comparatively few years by Fred
B. Griffin, treasurer and general manager
of The Griffin Tobacco Company of Hart-
ford, Connecticut. When one talks with
the men by whom he was employed during
the years when his mental and moral
habits were being established, one finds
no expression of surprise ; he
is told that
"nothing else could be expected of Fred
Griffin than that he would make an im-
portant place for himself in the business
world."
During the years that Mr. Griffin's
family has been in America those sturdy,
physical, mental and moral qualities that
are uniformly characteristic of the Walsh
have lost none of their original vigor, and
Fred B. Griffin has proved himself a
worthy heir to such an heritage. His
early life on the farm developed that
robust physique so essential to success in
almost any line of endeavor. Keen of
mind and ambitious, Mr. Griffin naturally
devoted the best that was in him to the
accomplishment of every task undertaken
for others or for himself from the day he
first went to work. Such effort always
wins success.
(IX) Fred B. Griffin was born in Gran-
by, Connecticut, June 16, 1873, son of Gilbert
Benjamin and Margaret (Fleming)
Griffin. He received his education in the
grammar and high schools, and at the age
of sixteen entered the employ of Loomis
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
58
Brothers, who were engaged in the general
merchandise business in Granby. He
remained in that position for about four
and one-half years, subsequently going to
Plainville, Connecticut, where he held a
similar position, and also served as local
agent of the American Express Company.
His next employment was with the Brad-
ley, Smith Company, wholesale dealers in
confectionery and cigars of New Haven,
Connecticut. After fifteen months Mr.
Griffin returned to Granby and to the em-
ploy of Loomis Brothers, remaining until
November 1, 1901. On the latter date Mr.
Griffin became interested in his present
business. It was first organized as the
Krohn Tobacco Company, the members
being Moses Krohn, of Cincinnati, A. H.
Reeder, of Dayton, Ohio, and Mr. Griffin.
That same year Mr. Krohn died and his
interests were purchased by his partners
who changed the firm name to the Reeder,
Griffin Company. In 1910 Mr. Newberger
became interested in the business and the
firm name became The Griffin-Newberger
Tobacco Company. In 1917 Mr. Griffin
purchased Mr. Newberger's interest in
the business from the Alien Property Cus-
todian and the name was changed to the
Griffin Tobacco Company. The company
raises annually about four hundred acres
of tobacco and buys the crops of other
growers, which it packs and markets with
its own product. Mr. Griffin is a direc-
tor of the American Industrial Bank of
Hartford, of which he was one of the
organizers ; is president of the Arthur
Corry Company of Quincy, Florida, pack-
ers of leaf tobacco and growers of fruits
and vegetables. This company owns a
plantation of thirty-three hundred acres,
two thousand of which are under cultivation.
Mr. Griffin is also treasurer and
general manager of the Connecticut Tobacco
Company, whose business is buy-
ing tobacco for export and import.