Jesse J. Finley

American politician

Jesse Johnson Finley (November 18, 1812 – November 6, 1904) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida, following the reconstruction era. He also served as mayor of Memphis, Tennessee; an volunteer officer in the United States Army during the Second Seminole War; a member of the Arkansas Senate; a member of the Florida Senate; and a Circuit Court Judge in Florida. Finley served as a Circuit Judge of the Western Judicial Circuit of Florida from 1853 to 1861.

Finley served in the United States House of Representatives during the 44th, 45th, and 47th United States Congress as a member of the Democratic Party (United States). Finley successfully contested the election of Josiah T. Walls to the 44th United States Congress. Finley served in the from April 19, 1876, to March 3, 1877. Finley successfully contested the election of Horatio Bisbee, Jr. to the 45th United States Congress and served from February 20 to March 3, 1879. He presented credentials as a Member elect to the 47th United States Congress and served from March 4, 1881, to June 1, 1882, when he was succeeded by Horatio Bisbee, Jr., who successfully contested Finley's election. Finley presented credentials on December 5, 1887, as a Senator designate to the United States Senate for the term commencing March 4, 1887, but was not permitted to qualify because the appointment was made before the vacancy occurred.

Finley had a son, Charles A. Finley, who served as an administrator at Florida Agricultural College, and a daughter.

Finley died on November 6, 1904, in Lake City, Florida. He was interred to Evergreen Cemetery in Gainesville, Florida. JJ Finley Elementary School was located in Gainesville, Florida, at the corner of Northwest 5th Avenue and 19th Street, about 1 kilometer north of the University of Florida. On June 16, 2020, the School Board of Alachua County (Florida) removed J. J. Finley's name from the school, during protests associated with the murder of George Floyd. The School Board will convene a citizen committee to recommend a new name by August 2020. In January 2019, the Gainesville City Commission named a city park in honor of Finley. The vote to name the park for Finley was unanimous. In February 2020, the City of Gainesville City Commission removed Finley's name from the park, by a unanimous vote. The City process to approve a new name required input from a citizen advisory board. The City suspended advisory board activity during the COVID 19 pandemic in the United States. The park remained unnamed through the pandemic. The Gainesville Sun inaccurately reported that the playground was renamed "as part of the city of Gainesville and Alachua County's truth and reconciliation process".