Frank Park Samford, Hr., the man credited with transforming Birmingham-based Liberty National Life Insurance Company into one of the nation’s leading financial services conglomerates, “was a man of many talents – and he invested them passionately into his life and the lives of others.”
Born on January 29, 1921, he was the son of Frank Park and Hattie Mae (Noland) Samford. His father was one of the founders of Liberty National. His grandfather was an Alabama Court of Appeals judge. His great grandfather was an Alabama governor.
Frank Park Samford, Jr., could have chosen to rest on the laurels of his forefathers. Instead, he chose to blaze a trail of his own with the torch of excellence passed to him.
He received his early education in Montgomery and then in Birmingham, where he was an outstanding student at Ramsey High School. At Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) he achieved the highest grades of any freshman student in the school’s business administration program. He later transferred to Yale University where he received recognition as a leader before graduating in 1942. After serving for three years as a United States Naval Officer on a destroyer in both theaters of World War II, he entered The University of Alabama School of Law. He graduated at the top of his class (only one B” kept him from a straight “A” average).
In 1947, the young law school graduate began his meteoric career with Liberty National Insurance Company as a securities analyst. Eventually, he would work in practically every division in the home office. By 1950, he had been elected to the company’s board of directors. He became president in 1960.
He succeeded his father as chief executive officer in 1967 and as chairman of the board in 1973. In these positions, he was able to see his vision of transforming Liberty National Life Insurance Company into a diversified insurance and financial services company become a reality.
In 1979, Frank Samford, Jr. led in the formation of the parent company, Torchmark, which acquired life and health insurance companies and which diversified into such businesses as investment management. He subsequently served as president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of Torchmark. And through his wisdom, vision, and efforts, he saw Torchmark grow to become one of the nation’s largest stock insurance and financial institutions, with over $3.4 billion in assets.
The innovative leadership of Frank P. Samford, Jr. brought many accolades. In 1984, he received the Gold Award from the Wall Street Transcript as the outstanding chief executive officer in the life insurance industry. Twice before he had received the Silver Award as the runner-up. Other recognitions of his leadership were his induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor and his selection to be honored at the Alabama Meeting of the Newcomen Society of the United States – a non-profit membership corporation whose members are the corporate and industrial elite across the nation and abroad and whose purpose is to study the history of business and its effects on the contributions to the furthering of mankind.
Frank Park Samford, Jr.’s pursuit of excellence for himself and others led him to the forefront in the insurance industry. But he also gave his time and talents to serve in the community and in the state.
For example, he served on the boards of BellSouth Corporation, South Central Bell, Golden Enterprises, The Southern Company, Birmingham Trust National Bank, Saunders Leasing Systems, Alabama Great Southern Railway, and the Birmingham Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
He was a chairman and president of the Jefferson County United Appeal, of the Jefferson County Heart Fund Drive, and a member of the City of Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board.
He served on the boards of educational institutions, such as Auburn University, the University of Montevallo, and the Indian Springs School. He worked with the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges. He was a charter member of the board of directors of the Kidney Foundation of Alabama and a member of the Board of Southern Research Institute. He was a member of the Rotary Club and the Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham.
Frank Park Samford, Jr., was, in the words of former Governor of Alabama George C. Wallace, “one of the most productive citizens in our state.”
This highly successful executive and productive citizen was what one might call a Renaissance man – that is, a complex personality who contributed and participated successfully in many facets of human life.
He has been described as a man “ahead of his time.” In the 1970’s he was one of the few CEOs who wore a beard. Often, he rode a bicycle to and from work when a car was considered the normal mode of transportation.
An avid jogger, he placed emphasis on physical fitness and was instrumental in establishing a track and exercise center in the headquarters building of Liberty National. He loved the adventure of sailing and flying, but he also enjoyed an intense game of chess. He quoted poetry from memory – and even named his sailboat the “Rubaiyat.”
Although his professional and civic endeavors took a great deal of his time, his family was always the central force of his life. In 1942, he married Virginia Suydam whom he had known since the ninth grade. They had four children: Frank III, Laura, John, and Mae.
Frank Samford, Jr. was a private man, known closely by few. But there was something about him – actually, everything about him – that quietly commanded respect, admiration, and loyalty from all those with whom he came in contact.
He died on December 6, 1986, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Just as he ha through Birmingham, he had carried the torch of excellence on every other day of his life. He was a rare combination of dreamer and realist. He reached for the stars with his feet planted firmly on the ground.
