Hugh Franklin Finley (January 18, 1833 – October 16, 1909) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, father of Charles Finley. Born at Tyes Ferry, Kentucky, Finley attended the common schools. He engaged in agricultural pursuits, and studied law, gaining

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1859 and commencing practice in

Williamsburg, Kentucky Williamsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Whitley County, on the southeastern border of Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,326 at the 2020 census. Developed along the Cumberland River, the city was founded in ...

. He served as member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

from 1861 to August 1862, when he resigned. Finley was elected as a Kentucky

Commonwealth's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

in 1862, and served until 1866, when he resigned. He was again elected to the position in 1867, and re-elected in 1868 for six more years. In 1870, he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Forty-second Congress. He served in the

Kentucky State Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. The Kentuck ...

in 1875 and 1876, when he resigned. He was appointed in 1876 by President Grant as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for Kentucky, and served until 1877. He resumed the practice of law. He served as judge of the fifteenth judicial circuit from 1880 to 1886. Finley was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890. He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in the coal mining business. He died in

at the age of 73, and according to the United States Congress biography, he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, yet he was actually buried in Finley Cemetery in Williamsburg, Whitley County, Kentucky. His large upright grave marker lists his political accomplishments. He married Jane Moss and the couple had two sons and three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Hugh Franklin 1833 births 1909 deaths Unionist members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Kentucky commonwealth's attorneys Republican Party Kentucky state senators Kentucky state court judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century Kentucky state court judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly