- James A. Finnegan
James A. Finnegan (
20 December ,1906 –26 March 1958 ) was a Democratic politician fromPhiladelphia , Pennsylvania. He was graduated from theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1931, and then served theUnited States Air Force as Lieutenant Colonel in the Troop Carrier Command in the United States, England, and France from 1942-46.Finnegan served in succession as Secretary of the
Delaware River Navigation Commission under then GovernorGeorge H. Earle III , administrative assistant to then SenatorFrancis J. Myers , administrative assistant to former CongressmanMichael J. Bradley , and chair of thePhiladelphia County Democratic Executive Committee. A member ofPhiladelphia City Council , he was elected its president in 1951, serving until January 1955.Taking the oath of office on
18 January 1955 , Council President Finnegan became Secretary of the Commonwealth under GovernorGeorge M. Leader . He resigned this position that same December to assume the duties of campaign manager for Illinois Governor Adlai E. Stevenson’s pre-convention and later presidential campaign in 1956. Leader reappointed Finnegan Secretary of the Commonwealth onDecember 28 ,1956 . He served in this capacity until his death, at age 52, on26 March 1958 .He is credited with the phrase "Good Government is Good Politics."
Pennsylvania political leaders at the time of Finnegan's demise created the
Finnegan Foundation . The foundation's purpose is to provide educational fellowships to undergraduates.
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