John W. Finch
# John W. Finch

John Wellington Finch (November 3, 1873 – February 19, 1951) was an American mining engineer and the 6th director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

## Early life

John Wellington Finch was born on November 3, 1873, in Lebanon, New York, to Mary Ellen (née Lillibridge) and Deloss L. Finch. He graduated from Colgate University in 1897 with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in 1898. He then went to the University of Chicago for graduate studies.

## Career

While working on his graduate studies, Finch taught at the University of Chicago. Finch was appointed as state geologist of Colorado by Governor Orman in 1901. He worked as a consulting geologist and engineer for a variety of companies, including the Amalgamated Copper Company, the Anaconda Copper Company, Hayden, Stone & Co., J.P. Morgan & Co., and William Boyce Thompson. He was also used as an expert witness in mining cases, including a 1914 dispute between the Jim Butler Tonopah Mining Company and the West End Consolidated Mining Company in Nevada.

Finch traveled and conducted mining surveys in China, Siam, India, Asia Minor, and Africa between 1916 and 1922. In 1922, Finch was one of ten men to enter the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt.

From 1925 to 1929, Finch was a professor of mining geology at the Colorado School of Mines. In 1930, he was appointed the dean of the mining school at the University of Idaho until 1934. He resigned from his post in July 1934 to serve as director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. However, the appointment was postponed due to an investigation into his political affiliations with former U.S. President Herbert Hoover being conducted by Postmaster General James Farley. Finch returned back to his post at the University of Idaho.

Finch replaced Scott Turner as the director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines on August 17, 1934. Turner led the Bureau as it added conserving natural resources and protecting workers and communities to its mission. In 1936, a Coal Division was created within the Technologic Branch to focus on coal research within the Bureau. He led the Bureau until 1940.

## Personal life

Finch married Ethel Ione Woods, the daughter of Dr. Byron A. Woods, a pastor in Philadelphia, on April 10, 1901. Together, they had two daughters: Ione and Nancy.

The John Wellington Finch–Arthur Bosworth House is part of the Country Club Historic District in Denver, Colorado.

## Death

Finch died on February 19, 1951, in Denver.

## Awards

Finch received a Doctor of Science honorary degree in 1913.

