Ken Griffin is more than just CEO of hedge fund Behemoth Castle. He is also an avid American history enthusiast who spent millions of dollars on rare documents such as the U.S. Constitution and the Human Rights Act. Now, the billionaire will donate $15 million and offer several precious first editions to Philadelphia nonprofits ahead of next year's 250th anniversary celebration.
“The extraordinary prosperity of the United States over the past 250 years has proven the genius of the Republic, as our Constitution states,” Griffin said in a statement. “The authors of the Constitution have an incredible vision in designing a system of government that has stood the test of time and are now more protective than ever before.”
Griffin’s gift to the National Constitution Center (NCC), a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution that opened in 2003, is the largest in the institution’s history. Funding will support the launch of two new galleries: one focused on the founding principles of the United States and the other exploring the separation of power and federalism that will open next February and May respectively.
In addition to donations, Griffin temporarily lent his copy of the United States Constitution, one of only 14 known first editions of prints in historical texts. He bought the document for $43.2 million at Sotheby's auction in 2021, which surpassed an encrypted collective called Constitutiondao and set a record for the most expensive book, manuscript or printed text ever sold at auction.
Griffin said at the time that the document “can allow all Americans and visitors to view and appreciate in our museums and other public places.” Later, he lent it to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which is on display in 2022.
In addition to the first edition of the U.S. Constitution, Griffin would also lend another rare document to the NCC: a first edition copy of the proposed constitutional amendment passed by the House of Representatives in 1789 for consideration by the Senate – which later became the U.S. Human Rights Act. Griffin reportedly bought the document for $1.5 million at a Sotheby's auction held shortly after obtaining the Constitution, which had previously loaned it to the Crystal Bridge Museum of Art.
Both documents will be displayed publicly at the NCC through 2026. To acknowledge Griffin’s gift, the institution will name its center welcome space Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall. “All of our National Constitution Centers tell the story of the founding of the United States in a meaningful way,” said Jeffrey Rosen, CEO and President of the nonprofit.
This is not the first time Griffin has donated more than $2 billion to charity, who has devoted his wealth to the patriotic initiative. He previously donated $30 million to the Texas Museum in honor of the U.S. Armed Forces’ Medal of Honor and funded the Citizen Education Video Series The constitution explainsand support efforts, including the Naval Seal Foundation, the Restoration of the Lincoln Memorial, and Fire, a nonprofit that defends freedom of speech on university campuses.
