Ellen Beatriz (Griffin) Dunne (1932 - 1997)

Born 28 Jan 1932 in Tucson, Pima, Arizona, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Dominick Dunne — married 24 Apr 1954 (to 1969) in Nogales, Santa Cruz, Arizona, United States

Died 9 Jan 1997 at age 64 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mark Shernick [send private message]

Biography

Ellen Beatriz Griffin Dunne, the wife of TV producer Dominick Dunne, was a Hollywood socialite during the 1960s. After the death of her daughter, actress Dominique Dunne, in 1982, Ellen became an advocate for court reform and social justice. She founded Justice for Homicide Victims in 1984 and was recognized for her advocacy work by President George H. W. Bush in 1989.

Born 28 January 1932 at the historic Yerba Buena Ranch outside Nogales, Arizona, Ellen "Lenny" Griffin grew up in a small town, but her father, Thomas Francis Griffin Jr., owned one of the biggest ranches in Arizona (30,000 acres) and had an even bigger circle of friends.

The Yerba Buena Ranch dates back to the 1700s. It was bought in the 1920s by Lenny's grandfather, George Francis Griffin, president of the Griffin Wheel Co. of Chicago, a company that supplied wheels for the nation's railroad cars.

Lenny's father, Thomas Francis Griffin, served the U.S. Navy during World War II, and when he returned from the war he decided to build up the ranch. Among other things, he added an airport.

Perched right on the border with Mexico, Yerba Buena soon became a very popular resort destination, a "Hollywood dude ranch" with scenic vistas and sunsets adored by Hollywood film directors of the 1940s and 1950s, who paid heavy dust to rent dozens of horses and brought along some of the world's best photographers to capture the "authentic flavor" of the Old West -- as well as the local Tequila in Tucson.

Lenny's mother, Beatriz Charlotte Sandoval, descended from one of the ancient Spanish families that had populated the region of Nogales since the early 1800s.

Ellen, known as "Lenny" among her friends, enjoyed a comfortable childhood of horseback riding and running wild in the fresh air. But Beatriz, her mother, who was a strict Catholic and by all accounts a strong-headed woman, also made sure Lenny did her homework and learned all the proper social graces.

Lenny attended Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, Briarcliff College, and the University of Arizona, the latter where she studied drama and majored in Film Arts. She graduated in 1953.

Lenny met her future husband, Dominick Dunne, a graduate of Williams College, while she was on a visit to Hartford, Connecticut.

They celebrated their marriage on 24 April 1954 at the Griffin family ranch in Arizona and lived in New York City before relocating to Beverly Hills.

Of their five children, three survived infancy, including Dominique Dunne and Griffin Dunne.

The couple separated in 1965 and their divorce was legally finalized in 1969.

In the early 1980s, Lenny was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

In 1990, she left Beverly Hills, California, and returned to Nogales, Arizona, where she built a 5,500 square-foot home on the site of her parents' former ranch.

She passed away in January of 1997 and is buried at a cemetery near Nogales.

Sources

• Ellen Griffin Dunne - Wikipedia
• Miss Porter's School - Wikipedia
• Briarcliff College - Wikipedia
• University of Arizona - Wikipedia
• Find a Grave
• Rootsweb - Search Obituaries
• DUNNE, ELLEN GRIFFIN (Obituary). New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2018
• Quinn, Dale. "Ariz. home with Hollywood ties". Arizona Daily Star, 22 Jan 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2018

1932 Birth Record

Ellan Beatriz Griffin in the Arizona, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1880-1935

• Name: Ellen Beatriz Griffin
• Gender: Female
• Birth Date: 28 Jan 1932
• Birth Place: Tucson, Pima, Arizona, USA
• Father: Thomas Francis Griffin
• Mother: Beatriz Charlotte [Sandoval] Griffin
• Certificate Number: 550

Source Citation Arizona Department of Health Services; Phoenix, AZ; Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates

Source Information Ancestry.com. Arizona, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1880-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

1940 U.S. Census Record [Nogales, Santa Cruz, Arizona]

Ellen Beatriz Griffin in the 1940 United States Federal Census

• Name: Ellen Beatriz Griffin
• Age: 8
• Estimated Birth Year: abt 1932
• Gender: Female
• Race: White
• Birthplace: Arizona
• Marital Status: Single
• Relation to Head of House: Daughter
• Home in 1940: Santa Cruz, Arizona
• Map of Home in 1940: Santa Cruz, Arizona
• Street: Yerba Buena Ranch
• Inferred Residence in 1935: Santa Cruz, Arizona
• Sheet Number: 3A
• Attended School or College: Yes
• Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 2nd grade

Household Members:

• Thomas Francis Griffin 32 Head
• Beatriz Griffin 32 Wife
• Ellen Beatriz Griffin 8 Daughter

Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Santa Cruz, Arizona; Roll: m-t0627-00113; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 12-11

Source Information Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

1953 University of Arizona Yearbook Photo

Ellen Beatris Griffin in the U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016

• Name Ellen Beatris Griffin
• Estimated Age 22
• Birth Year abt 1931
• Yearbook Date 1953
• School University of Arizona
• School Location Tucson, Arizona, USA
• Grade Completed Senior

Source Citation Arizona Daily Star; Publication Date: 13 Jan 1997; Publication Place: Tucson, Arizona, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/167535576/?article=048d0fce-644b-47bf-bc42-ad649c032fc3&focus=0.022334512,0.35793272,0.18706931,0.5098668&xid=3355

Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2019.

See also: MyHeritage.com - Search in Yearbooks

24 April 1954 Marriage Record

Miss Ellen Beatrix Griffin in the U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current

• Name: Miss Ellen Beatrix Griffin
• Gender: Female
• Residence Date: Abt 1954
• Residence Place: 1100 Madison Avenue New York
• Occupation: Student Nurse
• Employer: Samaritan Hospital
• School: Miss Porter 's School
• Marriage Date: 24 Apr 1954
• Marriage Place: Nogales [Arizona]
• Father: Thomas Francis Griffin
• Mother: Griffin
• Spouse: Dominick Dunne

1955 City Directory - Hartford, Connecticut

Ellen B Dunne in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995

• Name Ellen B Dunne
• Gender Female
• Residence Year 1955
• Residence Place Hartford, Connecticut, USA
• Spouse Dominick J Dunne
• Lisiting: Dunne, Dominick J (Ellen B) rem to NY [No address]
• Publication Title Hartford, Connecticut, City Directory, 1955

Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Original data: Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information.

Jan 1969 Divorce Record

Ellen B Griffin in the California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984

• Name: Ellen B Griffin
• Spouse Name: Dominick J Dunne
• Location: Los Angeles City
• Date: Jan 1969

Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Original data: State of California. California Divorce Index, 1966-1984. Microfiche. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.

Social Security Record

Ellen Beatriz Griffin in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

• Name: Ellen Beatriz Griffin [Ellen Griffin Dunne] [Ellen Dunne]
• Gender: Female
• Race: White
• Birth Date: 28 Jan 1932
• Birth Place: Tucson Pima, Arizona
• Death Date: 9 Jan 1997
• Father: Thomas F Griffin
• Mother: Beatriz C Sandoval

Notes: Jul 1953: Name listed as ELLEN BEATRIZ GRIFFIN; Jun 1955: Name listed as ELLEN GRIFFIN DUNNE; 17 Jan 1997: Name listed as ELLEN G DUNNE

13 Jan 1997 Obituary, Arizona Daily Star

Ellen Beatrix DUNNE Griffin in the U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current

• Name Ellen Beatrix DUNNE Griffin
• Gender Female
• Death Age 64
• Birth Date 28 Jan 1932
• Birth Place Tucson
• Marriage Date 1954
• Residence Place Nogales, Arizona
• Death Date 9 Jan 1997
• Death Place Nogales
• Obituary Date 13 Jan 1997
• Obituary Place Tucson, Arizona, USA
• Newspaper Title Arizona Daily Star
• Parents Thomas Francis Griffin; Beatriz Sandoval Griffin
• Spouse Dominick Dunne

Children:

• Dominique Dunne
• Griffin Dunne
• Alexander Dunne

Source Citation Arizona Daily Star; Publication Date: 13 Jan 1997; Publication Place: Tucson, Arizona, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/167535576/?article=048d0fce-644b-47bf-bc42-ad649c032fc3&focus=0.022334512,0.35793272,0.18706931,0.5098668&xid=3355

Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2019.

Find A Grave Memorial

Ellen Beatriz Dunne in the U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current

• Name Ellen Beatriz Dunne
• Maiden Name Griffin
• Gender Female
• Birth Date 28 Jan 1932
• Birth Place Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, United States of America
• Death Date 9 Jan 1997
• Death Place Nogales, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States of America
• Cemetery: City of Nogales Cemetery
• Burial or Cremation Place Nogales, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States of America
• Has Bio? Y
• Father Thomas Francis Griffin
• Mother Beatriz E Goodwin
• Spouse: Dominick Dunne

Children:

• Dominique Ellen Dunne
• Baby Girl Dunne

Go to website: Ellen Beatriz Dunne (1932 - 1997) Memorial No. 7756473

Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Original data: Find a Grave. Find a Grave®. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.