Thomas Griffith, ex-editor of Life, had love for words
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Thomas Griffith was a man who loved words and knew how to use them.
"He loved to write," said his nephew, Colin Nisbet of Seattle. "He told me one time that he was one of those lucky people in the world. He did what he loved to do."
A soft-spoken man whose gentle nature belied a forceful mind, Mr. Griffith had a long and illustrious career in journalism that began at The Seattle Times and ended at Time Inc. in New York City, where he was editor of Life magazine.
"He had strong opinions, mostly about how a journalist should behave," said longtime friend and former colleague Robert Manning of Boston. "He was very intelligent, and he had a great understanding of how politics and government work."
Mr. Griffith died Saturday at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital. He was 86.
Though he lived with his wife, Caroline, in an Upper East Side apartment overlooking the East River, Mr. Griffith never forgot his Western Washington roots.
"One of the reasons they loved the apartment so much is because it reminded them of Seattle, with the boat traffic," Nisbet said.
Mr. Griffith was born in Tacoma but raised in a Seattle boarding house with his brother and sister, sent there by their father after their mother died. He was 7 at the time.
He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1932; much later he was named outstanding graduate at the school's 50th anniversary celebration. As a student at the University of Washington, Mr. Griffith met his future wife, Caroline Coffman Griffith, while working on The Daily.
In 1975, he was awarded the UW School of Communications' Alumni Award for Achievement.
Mr. Griffith started his career at The Seattle Times in 1936, working as a reporter and then as assistant city editor before accepting a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 1942. He joined Time Inc. the next year and stayed for three decades, retiring in 1972 as editor of Life magazine. During that time, he gained the respect of Time Inc.'s outspoken and politically conservative founder, Henry Luce, who reportedly took to calling Mr. Griffith "the loyal opposition."
"He was a beloved editor at Time Inc., no question about it," said Manning, a former senior editor of Time magazine. "He loved journalism itself, like me. ... It was a great tradition and something to be proud of."
Mr. Griffith also wrote three books: "Harry and Teddy: The Turbulent Friendship of Press Lord Henry R. Luce and his Favorite Reporter, Theodore H. White;" "The Waist-High Culture;" and "How True: A Skeptic's Guide to Believing the News."
Mr. Griffith loved to travel with his wife — they spent their honeymoon bicycling through Europe — and was interested in "just about everything," Nisbet said.
"He knew sports, politics, foreign affairs, you name it."
Mr. Griffith had a particular interest in architecture and frequently visited New York's museums and theater. Those who knew him describe him as a loyal friend who was not only smart, but wise.
Mr. Griffith will be buried in Chehalis, the hometown of his wife, who still lives in Manhattan.
"He loved Seattle," Nisbet said. "He's coming home."
Pam Sitt can be reached at 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com.