From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
Griffin, Lorena W.
(born: 1892)Griffin was born Lorena Waters. Her first name has been given as Loretta, and her birthplace has been given as Paris, KY. According to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Lorena Waters was born in Chicago in 1892. She was the wife of William Griffin, Sr., who was from Kentucky. Their son, James S. "Jimmy" Griffin (1917-2002), became the first African American sergeant of the St. Paul, Minnesota, police force in 1955; captain in 1970; and after a discrimination lawsuit, deputy chief in 1972. For more see Jimmy Griffin, one of St. Paul's finest! and Jimmy Griffin, a son of Rondo: a memoir, by J. S. Griffin and K. J. C. McDonald.