Benjamin Franklin Grussendorf, Jr.[1] (February 23, 1942 – June 17, 2011) was an educator and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska.
Grussendorf originally ran for the Alaska House in 1972, unsuccessfully challenging appointed incumbent Edward Flynn in the primary election.
Flynn would lose in the general election to Republican nominee Richard Irving "Dick" Eliason, a former Sitka mayor who was originally elected to the seat in 1968 by 54 votes over Democratic incumbent Frank Getman, before losing reelection to Meland in 1970 by 22 votes.
During his last term as speaker, Eliason finished up his legislative career by serving as Senate president prior to retiring.
Tim Grussendorf was a longtime Senate aide, mostly during his father's tenure in office (the legislature's nepotism policy allow family members of legislators to work or seek employment in the opposite chamber).