Craig J. Findley (born February 7, 1948) is an American newspaper editor and politician. Findley was born in

Pittsfield, Illinois Pittsfield is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,576 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,211 in 2000. History Pittsfield was initially settled by settlers from New England. These s ...

. He went to school in Pittsfield and

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Churc ...

. His father was

Paul Findley Paul Augustus Findley (June 23, 1921 – August 9, 2019) was an American writer and politician. He served as United States Representative from Illinois, representing its 20th District. A Republican, he was first elected in 1960. A moderate Repu ...

(1921-2019) who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, from Illinois, from 1961 to 1983. Findley graduated from Knox College in 1971. Findley and his wife live in

Virginia, Illinois Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,514 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. Geography Virginia is located at (39.949022, -90.211793). According to the 2021 census gazetteer file ...

with their family and were the editors of the Gazette Newspapers in

Cass County, Illinois Cass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 13,642. Its county seat is Virginia. It is the home of the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area. History Ca ...

. Findley served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1981 and 1982. After the

Cutback Amendment The Cutback Amendment (formally named the "Size of State House of Representatives Amendment"; and also known as both "Amendment 1" and the "Legislative Article") is an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that abolished multi-member districts in ...

, Findley opted to run for an open seat in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

. Findley lost the general election to

Richard Luft Richard N. Luft (born March 14, 1938) was an American politician. Born in Pekin, Illinois, Luft received his bachelor's degree in political science and his master's degree in public administration from Sangamon State University. From 1975 to 1979 ...

. After his loss, he went to work for Congressman

Robert H. Michel Robert Henry Michel (; March 2, 1923 – February 17, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years. He represented central Illinois' 18th congressional distric ...

as a staffer in the Congressman's

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

office. After Michel's retirement in 1995, Findley became a legislative liaison for the

Illinois Department of Transportation The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fu ...

. That same year Findley was elected to the

Lincoln Land Community College Lincoln Land Community College is a public community college in Springfield, Illinois. It has extended branches in different locations, including Beardstown, Jacksonville, Litchfield and Taylorville, Illinois. The main campus is less than half ...

Board of Trustees. Findley has served as the board's chair on three occasions; 1997–1998, 2003–2005, and 2015–2017. He retired from the LLCC board in 2021. In 2001, Findley was appointed to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. The Prisoner Review Board is tasked with the consideration of cases of prisoners eligible for parole; setting conditions for parole and mandatory supervised release; revoking good conduct credit and suspending or reducing rate of accumulating such credit; and reviews recommendations for executive clemency. In 2017, Findley was reappointed the Chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board for a term ending January 15, 2023. In January 2023, Governor

J. B. Pritzker Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family, which owns the worldwide h ...

appointed Findley to serve as a member of the Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification Card Review Board. On March 7, 2024, his appointment was confirmed unanimously by the Illinois Senate.

Notes

1948 births Living people People from Pittsfield, Illinois People from Virginia, Illinois Knox College (Illinois) alumni Editors of Illinois newspapers Photographers from Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub