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griffith j griffith wikipedia jump to content main menu main menu move to sidebar hide navigation main page contents current events random article about wikipedia contact us contribute help learn to edit community portal recent changes upload file special pages search search appearance donate create account log in personal tools donate create account log in contents move to sidebar hide top 1 life toggle life subsection 1 1 career and philanthropy 1 2 crime 1 3 later life 2 additional images 3 references 4 external links toggle the table of contents griffith j griffith 7 languages العربية مصرى čeština cymraeg español українська 中文 edit links article talk english read edit view history tools tools move to sidebar hide actions read edit view history general what links here related changes upload file permanent link page information cite this page get shortened url switch to legacy parser print export download as pdf printable version in other projects wikimedia commons wikidata item appearance move to sidebar hide from wikipedia the free encyclopedia american philanthropist attempted murderer griffith j griffith born griffith jenkins griffith 1850 01 04 january 4 1850 bettws glamorganshire wales died july 6 1919 1919 07 06 aged 69 los angeles california u s resting place hollywood memorial cemetery los angeles other name colonel griffith j griffith occupations journalist mining and real estate magnate known for philanthropy assault with a deadly weapon spouse mary agnes christina mesmer 1887 1904 divorced children vandell mowry griffith 1888 1974 griffith jenkins griffith january 4 1850 july 6 1919 was a welsh born american industrialist and philanthropist after amassing a significant fortune from a mining syndicate in the 1880s griffith donated 3 015 acres 1 220 ha to the city of los angeles that became griffith park and he bequeathed the money to build the park s greek theatre and griffith observatory griffith s legacy was marred by his notorious shooting of his wife in 1903 a crime for which he served a year and nine months in prison 1 life edit career and philanthropy edit griffith j griffith was born in bettws glamorganshire wales on january 4 1850 to margaret jenkins morgan and griffith m griffith 2 he immigrated to the united states in 1865 settling in ashland pennsylvania in 1873 he moved to san francisco california and became manager of the herald publishing company in 1887 he married mary agnes christina mesmer 1864 1948 a daughter of early los angeles settler and businessman louis mesmer 3 in 1878 g j griffith became mining correspondent for the alta california a san francisco newspaper as a reporter he gained extensive knowledge of the mining industry on the pacific coast and in nevada which led to his employment by various mining syndicates as a mining expert griffith acquired a fortune 4 in 1882 griffith moved to los angeles and purchased approximately 4 000 acres 1 600 ha of the rancho los feliz mexican land grant on december 16 1896 griffith and his wife christina presented 3 015 acres 1 220 ha of the rancho los feliz to the city of los angeles for use as a public park griffith called it a christmas present after accepting the donation the city passed an ordinance to name the property griffith park in honor of the donor 5 it must be made a place of rest and relaxation for the masses a resort for the rank and file for the plain people griffith told the los angeles city council when he donated the land i consider it my obligation to make los angeles a happy cleaner and finer city i wish to pay my debt of duty in this way to the community in which i have prospered 6 griffith later donated another 1 000 acres 400 ha along the los angeles river 7 crime edit while vacationing in santa monica on september 3 1903 griffith shot his wife tina mesmer griffith in the presidential suite of the arcadia hotel as she knelt on the floor before him the shot did not kill her but she was left disfigured and lost her right eye griffith was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to commit murder the prosecution was led by henry t gage former governor of california 1 griffith was defended by attorney earl rogers whose cross examination of the veiled mrs griffith revealed that her husband generally thought to be a teetotaler 8 was in fact a secret drunk who was subject to paranoid delusions griffith was convicted of a lesser charge assault with a deadly weapon the judge sentenced him to two years in san quentin state prison and a 5 000 fine 9 instructing that he be given medical aid for his condition of alcoholic insanity 10 he served time from april 5 1905 to december 6 1906 9 on november 4 1904 while he was in jail mrs griffith was granted a divorce on the grounds of cruelty and she was awarded custody of their 16 year old son vandell 1 the court also stated that g j griffith would pay for his son s education at stanford university the decree was made in the record time of four and a half minutes 11 later life edit g j griffith was released from prison december 3 1906 after serving nearly two years his conduct at the penitentiary was called exemplary griffith returned to los angeles and began lecturing on prison reform 12 in december 1912 griffith offered a second christmas present to los angeles in the form of a greek theater and a hall of science to be built at his expense in griffith park the offer was accepted by the city council but members of the park commission objected and instituted a court action to block the donation griffith left the offer in his will he died of liver disease on july 6 1919 the bulk of his 1 5 million estate was bequeathed to the city for the building of the greek theater 1929 and griffith observatory 1935 13 1 he is interred at the hollywood forever cemetery in los angeles in the north end of section 7 a k a the griffith lawn 14 while standing at the side of his obelisk and looking north one can see the griffith observatory griffith used the title of colonel but official records of military service which support this rank have not been found 1 evidence suggests the only military title he ever held was major of rifle practice with the california national guard 15 16 further information colonel u s honorary title additional images edit griffith j griffith mary agnes christina mesmer griffith jenkins griffith marriage record 1887 griffith j griffith shot his wife in the face tina mesmer testified while heavily veiled the shooting disfigured her face and destroyed her right eye griffith j griffith mug shot photographed for the san quentin state prison register latimes obit death claims g j griffith griffith jenkins griffith death certificate references edit 1 2 3 4 5 jobb dean 15 december 2023 delusions of grandeur the scandalous crime of a los angeles millionaire crimereads retrieved 18 december 2023 bbc south east wales historical figures griffith j griffith bbc website bbc may 14 2010 archived from the original on may 4 2004 retrieved may 14 2010 los angeles daily examiner november 5 1904 the britons who made their mark on la the daily telegraph 2011 09 11 issn 0307 1235 retrieved 2018 07 05 death claims g j griffith los angeles times july 7 1919 griffith park narrative archived 2010 01 15 at the wayback machine department of recreation and parks city of los angeles griffith park to be considered for monument status walton alice city news service august 21 2008 chaddock don may 23 2019 la s griffith park observatory bear name of early 1900s san quentin inmate california department of corrections and rehabilitation retrieved october 6 2024 1 2 california state archives via ancestry com california u s prison and correctional records 1851 1950 original data department of corrections san quentin state prison records 1850 1950 id r135 st johns adela rogers final verdict garden city new york doubleday company inc 1962 pp 220 239 that was where earl rogers began the first alcoholic insanity defense st johns wrote perhaps the first certainly one of the first times that alcohol was called to account in an american courtroom as a disease a mental illness not just a sin or a crime or an indulgence final verdict p 232 mrs griffith gets divorce los angeles times november 5 1904 griffith is freed today los angeles times december 3 1906 griffith to lecture gone to san francisco to advocate prison reform along elmira institution lines los angeles times january 26 1908 death claims g j griffith los angeles times july 7 1919 city gains by griffith will los angeles times july 12 1919 russell ron july 3 1988 splendor fades at final resting place of famous almost famous los angeles times gurstelle william 2006 adventures from the technology underground clarkson potter isbn 978 1 4000 5082 6 bell alison june 12 2011 colonel griffith j griffith one of l a s more colorful figures los angeles times external links edit bbc biography griffith park narrative city of los angeles griffith observatory history millionaire under arrest the wife of col griffith of los angeles says he shot her the new york times september 7 1903 griffith j griffith at find a grave reminiscing trial of griffith j griffith draws wide attention grace roger m metropolitan news enterprise los angeles july 10 2008 authority control databases international viaf worldcat national united states wikimedia commons has media related to griffith jenkins griffith retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title griffith_j _griffith oldid 1338677159 categories 1850 births 1919 deaths 19th century american businesspeople 19th century american philanthropists american people convicted of assault american prisoners and detainees burials at hollywood forever cemetery businesspeople from los angeles philanthropists from los angeles criminals from los angeles deaths from cirrhosis griffith park history of los angeles people from ashland pennsylvania people from bridgend people using the u s civilian title colonel prisoners and detainees of california inmates of san quentin state prison british people imprisoned in the united states welsh emigrants to the united states hidden categories articles with short description short description is different from wikidata articles with hcards pages using infobox person with conflicting parameters webarchive template wayback links commons category link is on wikidata this page was last edited on 16 february 2026 at 16 08 utc page was rendered with parsoid text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike 4 0 license additional terms may apply by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc a non profit organization privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia legal safety contacts code of conduct developers statistics cookie statement mobile view search search toggle the table of contents griffith j griffith 7 languages add topic