Hugh Finn
{{Short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}}
Hugh Joseph Finn (1847 – 18 December 1927) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Otago region of New Zealand.
Biography
{{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=right}}
{{NZ parlbox
|start = {{NZ election link year|1879}}
|end = 1881
|term = 7th
|electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Wakatipu}}
|party = Independent politician
}}
{{NZ parlbox footer}}
Finn was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1847.{{cite book |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Auckland Provincial District |year=1902 |url= http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc02Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d6-d6.html |publisher=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand |author=Cyclopedia Company Limited |accessdate= 4 July 2012 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Gisborne}} He was a younger brother of Peter Finn.{{cite news |title=Mr Peter T. Finn |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=PBH19110504.2.28 |accessdate=1 July 2012|work=Poverty Bay Herald |volume=XXXVIII |issue=12446 |date=4 May 1911|page=5}} He was initially home-schooled and started attending Blackrock College in Blackrock near Dublin from the age of twelve. He then attended the Jesuit College in Amiens, France, and finally the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School in Australia. He went to the University of Melbourne for his tertiary education.
He joined the practice of George Godfrey in Melbourne as a clerk and passed his law exam.
In March 1874, he emigrated to New Zealand and arrived in Dunedin. In August of that year, he was admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Supreme Court of New Zealand.{{cite news|title=News of the Week |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18740829.2.40 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=Otago Witness|date=29 August 1874|issue=1187|page=14}} He practised as a barrister in Queenstown.{{cite news |title=The Otago Daily Times|url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ODT18740901.2.5 |accessdate=2 July 2012|date=1 September 1874|issue=3913|page=2}} He was also manager of the Gladstone Gold-Mining Company.{{cite news|title=Advertisements|url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ODT18780618.2.2.8 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=Otago Daily Times |date=18 June 1878|issue=5096|page=1}} In early 1875, he travelled in New Zealand with judge Robert Molesworth from Victoria.{{cite news |title=Untitled |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ST18750201.2.8 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=The Southland Times |date=1 February 1875|issue=2062|page=2}}
Finn married Lizzie McLean, daughter of John McLean of Kurow Station, on 20 February 1877 at Lawrence.{{cite news |title=Marriage |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ODT18770222.2.7 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=Otago Daily Times |date=22 February 1877|issue=4685|page=2}} They had a son in July 1878.{{cite news |title=Births |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18780713.2.33 |accessdate=2 July 2012 |work=Otago Witness|date=13 July 1878|issue=1989|page=16}}
He stood for a county council election in November 1878 in the Kingston Riding and was beaten by 43 votes to 12.{{cite news|title=Telegrams |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18781130.2.50 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=Otago Witness|date=30 November 1878|issue=1410|page=17}} He contested the {{NZ election link|1879}} as a supporter of George Grey{{cite news|title=Election Intelligence |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP18790826.2.11 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=The Evening Post|volume=XVIII |issue=49 |date=26 August 1879|page=2}} against Henry Manders (the incumbent) and William Mason{{cite news|title=Otago News |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WCT18790808.2.9.2 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=West Coast Times|date=8 August 1879|issue=3231|page=2}} (a prominent architect who had moved to Queenstown in 1876).{{cite news|title=Nominations |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=CHP18790906.2.17 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=The Press|volume=XXXII |issue=4400 |date=6 September 1879|page=3}} Mason won the show of hands at the nomination meeting.{{cite news|title=Other Election Items |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TC18790906.2.10 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=Colonist|volume=XXII |issue=2597 |date=6 September 1879|page=3}} Thomas Fergus had also considered contesting Wakatipu, but he decided against it.{{cite news|title=Miscellaneous|url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18790830.2.25.9 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=Otago Witness|date=30 August 1879|issue=1449|page=11}} Finn, Mason and Manders received 266, 236 and 143 votes, respectively.{{cite news |title=Election News |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NOT18790916.2.14 |accessdate=2 July 2012 |work=North Otago Times |volume=XXVIII |issue=2301 |date=16 September 1879|page=2}} The Dunedin Herald commented after the election that Wakatipu voters had had a difficult choice between the incumbent Manders ("he had cut such a sorry figure [in Parliament] before"), Mason (who was supported by large land owners, which kept people from obtaining land for farming) and Finn (who was in a serious dispute with Queenstown's Resident Magistrate before the election). In the end, the voters decided for Finn, "the least of three evils".{{cite news|title=News of the Day |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=CHP18790925.2.10 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=The Press|volume=XXXII |issue=4416 |date=25 September 1879|page=2}} Finn represented the Wakatipu electorate from 1879 until the end of the parliamentary term in 1881, when he retired.{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-date= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103 |page=196}}
He later moved to Gisborne and practised there. He died in Tauranga on 18 December 1927.{{cite news|title=Personal Matters |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19271219.2.107 |accessdate=2 July 2012|work=The Evening Post|volume=CIV |issue=147 |date=19 December 1927|page=11}}{{cite news | url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19271219.2.4 | title=Death | date=19 December 1927 | work=Bay of Plenty Times | accessdate=25 October 2016 | page=2}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par | nz}}
{{s-bef | before = Henry Manders}}
{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Wakatipu | years=1879–1881}}
{{s-aft | after = Thomas Fergus}}
{{end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finn, Hugh J}}
Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Category:New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
Category:19th-century New Zealand lawyers
Category:Irish emigrants to New Zealand
Category:Politicians from County Kilkenny
Category:19th-century New Zealand politicians