Joan Finney
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Joan Finney (February 12, 1925-July 28, 2001), Democratic Party U.S. politician, served as Governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995.
She was born Joan Marie McInroy in 1925 in Topeka, Kansas, and graduated from high school in Manhattan, Kansas in 1942. In 1957, she married Spencer Finney, Jr. and had three children, Sally Finney, Dick Finney, and Mary Holladay. In 1978, she graduated from Washburn University with a degree in economic history. From 1953 to 1969, she served on the staff of Republican U.S. Senator Frank Carlson. From 1970 to 1972, she served as Commissioner of Elections for Shawnee County, Kansas. In 1972, running as a Republican, she was an unsuccessful candidate for a U.S. House seat. After switching her political affiliation from Republican to Democrat, she served as State Treasurer from 1975 to 1991. After upsetting former Governor John W. Carlin in the 1990 Democratic primary for Governor, she defeated incumbent Republican Mike Hayden in the general election becoming the first woman to defeat an incumbent Governor in the United States.
In addition to being the state's first woman governor, she was the state's oldest governor, taking office at age 65, and was also the state's first Catholic Governor.
Following her term as Governor, in 1996, she ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Bob Dole, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Jill Docking, who later lost the general election to Sam Brownback.
She died from complications of liver cancer at the St Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Topeka, and is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Topeka.
| Preceded by: Mike Hayden |
Governor of Kansas 1991–1995 |
Succeeded by: Bill Graves |
| Governors of Kansas |  |
|---|---|
| Robinson • Carney • Crawford • Green • Harvey • Osborn • Anthony • St. John • Glick • Martin • Humphrey • Lewelling • Morrill • Leedy • Stanley • Bailey • Hoch • Stubbs • Hodges • Capper • Allen • Davis • Paulen • Reed • Woodring • Landon • Huxman • Ratner • Schoeppel • Carlson • Hagaman • Arn • Hall • McCuish • G. Docking • Anderson • Avery • R. Docking • Bennett • Carlin • Hayden • Finney • Graves • Sebelius |
