Hugh Franklin Finley was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, father of Charles Finley

Charles Finley (politician)

Charles Finley was a United States Representative from Kentucky and son of Hugh Franklin Finley. He was born in Williamsburg, Kentucky were he attended the common and subscription schools. Later, he attended Milligan College...

.

Born at Tyes Ferry, Kentucky, Finley attended the common schools. He engaged in agricultural pursuits. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 in 1859 and commenced practice in Williamsburg, Kentucky

Williamsburg, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,143 people, 1,928 households, and 1,127 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,102.5 people per square mile . There were 2,118 housing units at an average density of 454.0 per square mile...

. He served as member of the State house of representatives from 1861 to August 1862, when he resigned.

Finley was elected Commonwealth attorney in 1862, and served until 1866, when he resigned. Finley was again elected in 1867, and re-elected in 1868 for six years.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1870 to the Forty-second

42nd United States Congress

The Forty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873, during the third and fourth...

 Congress. He served in the State senate in 1875 and 1876, when he resigned. He was appointed in 1876 by President Grant as United States Attorney

United States Attorney

United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...

 for Kentucky, and served until 1877. He resumed the practice of law. He served as judge of the fifteenth judicial circuit 1880-1886.

Finley was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Fiftieth

50th United States Congress

The Fiftieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887 to March 4, 1889, during the third and fourth...

 and Fifty-first

51st United States Congress

The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...

 Congresses (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1891). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890. He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in the coal mining business. He died in Williamsburg, Kentucky

Williamsburg, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,143 people, 1,928 households, and 1,127 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,102.5 people per square mile . There were 2,118 housing units at an average density of 454.0 per square mile...

, October 16, 1909. He was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery.