Representative Percy Wilfred Griffiths

Percy Wilfred “Red” Griffiths (March 30, 1893 – June 12, 1983) was an American football player and coach and politician who later served as a Republican Representative from Ohio in the United States Congress from 1943 to 1949. Born in 1893, he came of age in an era when collegiate athletics were expanding rapidly and would use his experiences in sports, education, and local government as a foundation for his subsequent congressional career.

Griffiths served in the United States Navy during World War I, an experience that preceded and helped shape his educational and athletic pursuits. After his military service, he attended Bloomsburg Normal School in Pennsylvania, an institution focused on teacher training. He then enrolled at Pennsylvania State College—now Pennsylvania State University—where he distinguished himself both academically and athletically. At Penn State he played college football as a guard under head coach Hugo Bezdek and was a member of the undefeated 1920 team. His performance on the field earned him selection to the 1920 College Football All-America Team. In addition to football, Griffiths lettered in lacrosse for the Nittany Lions and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1921.

Following his collegiate career, Griffiths briefly played professional football. In 1921 he joined the Canton Bulldogs of the National Football League (NFL), appearing in one season of professional play. That same year he began a long association with Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where he combined coaching and administrative responsibilities. From 1921 to 1927 he served as athletic director and coached football, basketball, and baseball. As head football coach at Marietta from 1921 through the 1926 season, he compiled a record of 14–28–7. He also coached the men’s basketball team from 1922 until 1927, contributing to the development of the college’s athletic programs during a formative period.

Griffiths continued his coaching career at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was appointed the 21st head football coach there and served for two seasons, from 1929 to 1930, compiling a record of 2–13–3. During this period he also advanced his formal education. He pursued graduate studies at Columbia University and graduated in 1930, further broadening his academic credentials beyond his earlier training in chemistry and his experience in athletics.

Transitioning from education and athletics into public service, Griffiths became active in local government in Ohio. He settled in Marietta and entered municipal politics, serving as the mayor of Marietta, Ohio, from 1938 to 1939. His tenure as mayor provided him with executive and administrative experience and increased his visibility in Washington County and the surrounding region. This local leadership role laid the groundwork for his subsequent election to national office.

Griffiths was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio’s 15th congressional district, which included Washington County. He served three consecutive terms in the 78th, 79th, and 80th Congresses, holding office from January 3, 1943, to January 3, 1949. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing the final years of World War II and the immediate postwar era. As a member of the House of Representatives, Percy Wilfred Griffiths participated in the democratic process, contributed to the legislative work of the chamber, and represented the interests of his constituents in Ohio’s 15th district. A member of the Republican Party, he took part in debates and decisions on wartime mobilization, veterans’ affairs, and the transition to a peacetime economy, helping to shape federal policy during a time of national and international change.

After leaving Congress in 1949, Griffiths gradually withdrew from public life. In 1952 he retired to Clearwater, Florida, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He remained out of elective office but was remembered in both Ohio and Pennsylvania for his multifaceted career as an athlete, coach, educator, mayor, and congressman. Percy Wilfred “Red” Griffiths died in Clearwater on June 12, 1983, at the age of 90.