David Wesley Finney (22 August 1839 – 1 November 1916) was an American politician. Between 1881 and 1885 he served as Lieutenant Governor of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Life

David Finney was born in

Annapolis, Indiana Annapolis is an unincorporated community in Penn Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 Sta ...

and grew up on a farm. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he served between 1862 and 1865 in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. In 1863 he was captured by Confederate Soldiers and for two month he was arrested in the

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

. After a change of prisoners he was released and returned to the Union Army. In 1864 he belonged to the troops of General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

that were on their March through the South (

Sherman's March to the Sea Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...

). In 1866 Finney arrived in

Neosho Falls, Kansas Neosho Falls is a city in Woodson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 134. History Neosho Falls was founded in 1857, making it the oldest town and first county seat in Woodson County. It was na ...

where he was engaged in the grocery and hardware business as well as in selling and buying stock. He joined the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and became a Member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

. Between 1872 and 1880 he held a seat in the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

, where he was the chairperson of a committee to reform the education system. In his home town he functioned as Justice of Peace. In 1880 David Finney was elected to the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. After a re-election in 1882 he served two terms between 10 January 1881 and 12 January 1885 when his second term ended. In this function he was the deputy of Governor John St. John (first term) and of Governor

George Washington Glick George Washington Glick (July 4, 1827 – April 13, 1911) was the ninth Governor of Kansas. George Washington Glick was raised on his father's farm near Greencastle, Ohio. He enlisted for service in the Mexican–American War, but saw no acti ...

(second term). Finney was also a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

where he held the rank of a Quartermaster. Since 1869 he was married with Helen H. McConnell. The couple had two children. David Finney died on 1 November 1916 in

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 ...

External links

*
The Political Graveyard

The Lieutenant-Governors of Kansas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finney, David Wesley 1839 births 1916 deaths People from Woodson County, Kansas People from Parke County, Indiana People of Indiana in the American Civil War Businesspeople from Kansas Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Republican Party Kansas state senators Lieutenant Governors of Kansas Union Army personnel 19th-century American businesspeople Grand Army of the Republic officials