James L. Finney Papers

Archive

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Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum

Name/Title

James L. Finney Papers

Entry/Object ID

MS.59

Scope and Content

James L. Finney Papers MS 59 James L. Finney Papers James L. Finney came to Las Vegas on June 8, 1926 with his wife and daughters, Lucille and Virginia. He owned a shoe company, audited the books for the city of Las Vegas, was partner with R. D. Bingham in an insurance and real estate firm, and in 1930 was elected as a Republican for a two-year term in the Nevada State Assembly. Finney resigned his Assembly seat on April 13, 1931, however, when he was appointed as Boulder City's first post master, opening the post office on April 15, 1931. In January 1932 a regular examination was given for the Boulder City post position; Finney received the highest grade in the exam and was officially appointed by President Herbert Hoover on May 10, 1932 to a four-year term. Finney's tenure as Boulder City's post master was cut short when he was investigated in 1933 for "extreme political activity" during the 1932 general election, which was a violation of Postal Department rules. Finney resigned his position effective January 1, 1934 and moved his family back to Las Vegas where he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Nevada State Senate that year. Finney died of a heart attack on April 9, 1936. The certificate in this collection is the citation of appointment Finney received from Herbert Hoover in 1932 for the position of Boulder City's post master. It's interesting to note that Finney's older daughter, Lucille Finney [Hudson] Rau was noted as the first woman employed on the Boulder Canyon Project when she worked briefly for the Six Companies in their Boulder City offices. Finney's younger daughter, Virginia, married Stanley Vernon Wines [October 31, 1912 - October 5, 1998] in 1942. Wines was the brother of Gene Wines Segerblom, Nevada State Assemblywoman, author, and wife of artist/photographer Cliff Segerblom [d. September 8, 1990]. * * *

Collection

Manuscripts

Archive Items Details

Notes

MS 59 James L. Finney Papers inventory [1 folder] Folder 1 of 1 item: certificate of presidential appointment as postmaster at Boulder City, Nevada, for a four-year term beginning May 10, 1932 [Herbert Hoover signature?] * * *

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

photograph collection 0136 [Virginia Wines Collection] biogaphy file [Wines, Vernon S. and Virginia Finney] biography file [Rau, Carl and Lucille Finney] biography file [Segerblom, Cliff and Gene] biography file [Wines, Stanley Lester] biography file [Lyon, Merle and family] biography file [Lyon, David] biography file [Lyon, lawrence J.] biography file [Fain, Samuel Clark and Connie Lyon] biography file [Finney, James L. and Fauna]

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

October 7, 2002

Updated By

bcmha.archives@gmail.com

Update Date

September 4, 2025