Lee McGriff
Lee "Daddy Pete" McGriff, Jr (born October 13, 1920 in Birmingham - died February 16, 2008) was the Chairman and CEO of McGriff, Seibels and Williams insurance firm from 1946 to 1986 and Mayor of Mountain Brook from 1972 to 1980.
McGriff was the son of Lee and Jennie Crick Denson McGriff of Birmingham. He attended Miss Stillwell's School and the Birmingham University School before boarding at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee and then completing a mathematics degree at the University of the South in Sewanee in 1941. He served as a U.S. Navy pilot in the Pacific theater during World War II, flying missions from the aircraft carrier Bonhomme Richard.
After returning to Birmingham, McGriff married the former Alice Nabers Jones and joined his father's insurance company, taking over the roles of Chairman and CEO in 1946. He oversaw the growth of the company over the next 40 years, also Presiding and serving as CEO for the Alabama Public Automobile Insurance Agency and the Magnolia General Agency of Jackson, Mississippi. He was inducted into the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame in 2006.
McGriff also chaired the Alabama chapter of the American Heart Association and served on the board of trustees of the Lakeshore Foundation and on the vestry of St Mary's-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church. From 1992 to 1993 he served as chair of the Alabama Ethic Commission. He has been honored as a distinguished alumnus and holds an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from Sewanee, which he has served as trustee and benefactor, endowing several scholarships and the construction of an alumni building.
McGriff died in early 2008. He was survived by his wife, Alice Jones McGriff, four children and six grandchildren.
| Preceded by: ? |
Mayor of Mountain Brook 1972–1980 |
Succeeded by: ? |
References
- Velasco, Eric (February 17, 2008) "Insurance executive Lee McGriff dies at 87." Birmingham News
- "Lee McGriff, Jr" obituary (February 17, 2008) Birmingham News