Cliff Finch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Finch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Clifton "Cliff" Finch (April 4, 1927 April 22, 1986) was an American politician. He was the 56th Governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi, from 1976 to 1980. He was born in the village of Pope in Panola County in northern Mississippi. At age 18, he enlisted in World War II and was sent into the Italian Campaign as part of the 88th Infantry Division. After the war, Finch worked in construction on the Pacific island of Guam. He then attended the University of Mississippi at Oxford. In 1958, he graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Finch entered politics in 1960 and was elected as a Democrat to the Mississippi House of Representatives. In 1964 and again in 1968, he was elected district attorney for the Seventeenth Judicial District. In 1971, he was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor. In 1975, Finch forged a coalition of African American and working class white voters in a populist-style gubernatorial campaign. To show his concern for working people, he sacked groceries, drove bulldozers, and performed other menial jobs. Finch adopted the campaign slogan "The working man's friend," with those letters featured on a black lunch box in drawings and placards. This campaign tactic proved popular as Finch was elected over Republican nominee Gil Carmichael, then an automobile dealer from Meridian, and the African American Independent candidate Henry Kirksey. Carmichael did, however, draw 45 percent of the vote, an exceptionally high figure for a statewide Republican candidate at that time. As governor, Finch helped save Mississippi's savings and loan industry from collapse and
1 of 3

Charles Clifton "Cliff" Finch

56th Governor of Mississippi In office January 20, 1976 January 22, 1980 Lieutenant Preceded by Evelyn Gandy Bill Waller

Succeeded by William Winter Personal details Born April 4, 1927 Pope, Panola County Mississippi, USA April 22, 1986 (aged 59) Batesville, Panola County Mississippi Magnolia Cemetery in Batesville, Mississippi

Died

Resting place

Political party Democratic Spouse(s) Zelma Lois Smith Finch (1926-2007)

4/17/2014 5:17 AM

Cliff Finch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Finch

provided flood relief in 1979. While still governor, Finch ran for the United States Senate in 1978, but he was defeated in the Democratic party primary by Maurice Dantin, who then lost in the general election to the Republican U.S. Representative Thad Cochran.

Alma mater

University of Mississippi University of Mississippi School of Law

Religion

Baptist Military service

Service/branch United States Army After leaving office, Finch ran in 1980 against U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He received 48,032 Battles/wars Italian Campaign of World War II votes (0.3 percent of the Democratic primary vote total) in nine primaries. After the campaign, Finch resumed practicing law.

Finch died on April 22, 1986 in Batesville in Panola County, Mississippi, from a massive heart attack.[1]

1. ^ Cliff Finch, ex-governor of Mississippi, dies (http://news.google.com /newspapers?id=R5Q_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=8FUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4230,3077566& dq=cliff+finch+dies&hl=en)

Cliff Finch (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7207093) at Find a Grave

Political offices Preceded by Governor of Mississippi Succeeded by William Waller 19761980 William Winter

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cliff_Finch&oldid=593936983" Categories: 1927 births 1986 deaths People from Batesville, Mississippi District attorneys Mississippi lawyers Mississippi Democrats Governors of Mississippi Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives United States presidential candidates, 1980 American military personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers University of Mississippi alumni University of Mississippi School of Law alumni Deaths from myocardial infarction This page was last modified on 4 February 2014 at 20:08. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
2 of 3

4/17/2014 5:17 AM

Cliff Finch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Finch

Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

3 of 3

4/17/2014 5:17 AM