Roy G. Finch
Roy G. Finch | |
|---|---|
| Born | Royal George Finch August 17, 1884 |
| Died | March 4, 1959 (aged 74) Albany, New York, US |
| Education | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Title | New York State Engineer and Surveyor |
| Term | 1925 to 1926 |
| Predecessor | Dwight B. LaDu |
| Successor | Superintendent of Public Works |
| Spouse |
Jessie Lewis Weller (m. 1909) |
| Parent(s) | George Nelson Finch Helen Hunt |
| Signature | |
Royal George Finch (August 17, 1884 – March 4, 1959) was an American civil engineer and politician from New York. He was the last New York State Engineer and Surveyor, in office from 1925 to 1926.[1][2] He was a member of the New York State licensing board for engineers.[3]
Early life
Finch was born on August 17, 1884, in Eagle Bridge, New York to George Nelson Finch and Helen (née Hunt) Finch.[1][2] He attended the public schools of Granville, New York.[4] He graduated in 1906 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in civil engineering.[1][4] While there, he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon.[2]
Career
In 1908, Finch joined what was then the New York Department of Engineering and was subsequently promoted to chief clerk of the New York State Engineer and Surveyor office.[4][5] In 1919 was appointed deputy state engineer to replace William B. Landreth.[5][4] Finch was the chief engineer for several bridges in New York State, including the Troy-Cohoes Bridge, also known as the 112th Street Bridge.[6]
In 1922, Finch worked for Norton Stone and Lime in Cobleskill, New York.[7] He formed a private practice in 1923 and successfully ran for a state office in 1924.[4] Finch was New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1925 to 1926, elected on the Republican ticket in 1924.[2] In 1925, he published The Story of the New York State Canals: Historical and Commercial Information.[8] By 1926 he was a member of the New York State Water Power Commission.[9]
In 1926, Democratic Governor Al Smith undertook a major re-organisation of the state administration, and the Engineer and Surveyor's Department was abolished, with its duties taken over by the New York State Department of Public Works. Finch returned to private practice, working as a consulting engineer.[4] From 1928 to 1946, Finch was a member and secretary of the State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.[4]
In 1929, Finch was awarded the Arthur M. Wellington prize for his pamphlet on the Story of the New York State Barge Canal and Its Operation.[10] On April 30, 1930, President Herbert Hoover appointed Finch to the Interoceanic Canal Board.[11][4] Finch served on the Albany Board of Education from 1947 to 1952, when he resigned.[4]
Personal life
On October 19, 1909, Finch married Jessie Lewis Weller.[2] They had one daughter, Mary Lewis Finch, born June 9, 1912, in Albany, New York.
In 1931, Finch a trustee of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; he became vice president in 1950 and continued serving until resigning.[4] In November 1950, he was appointed to the RPI Athletic Council, a ten-man council created in recognition of the important part played by athletics in the training of the well-rounded engineer.[12] He was also a president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumni Council.[4] He was a member of the Wadsworth Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons.[4] He belonged to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church of Albany.[4]
Finch died on March 4, 1959, in Albany, New York. He was buried in Mettowee Valley Cemetery in Granville, New York.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Manual for the Use of the Legislature of the State of New York. 1926.
Roy G. Finch, State Engineer and Surveyor, was born August 17, 1884, at Eagle Bridge, N. Y., receiving his early schooling in the public schools of Granville, Washington county. He entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at ...
- ^ a b c d e "Roy G. Finch". Political Graveyard. December 15, 1926. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
- ^ "Engineers At Discussion Of License Law". Schenectady Gazette. February 20, 1935. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
Roy Finch, former state engineer and at present a member of the state licensing board for engineers ...
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Roy G. Finch, Life Trustee of RPI, Dies". The Troy Record. 1959-03-06. p. 30. Retrieved 2026-03-20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Roy G. Finch". Engineering News-Record. McGraw-Hill. 1919.
Roy G. Finch, who for some years has been chief clerk of the New York State Engineer's office, has been appointed deputy state engineer to succeed William B. Landreth, who has been appointed chief of the board of consulting engineers ...
- ^ RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BULLETIN, REPRODUCTIONS OF WORK OF GRADUATES Vol 30. RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. March 1931. p. 39.
- ^ "State Official To Be Secretary Of Lime Corporation". Schenectady Gazette. November 14, 1922. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
Roy Finch, at present deputy state engineer, has accepted a position as secretary of the Norton Stone and Lime corporation of Cobleskill ...
- ^ Roy G. Finch (1925). The Story of the New York State Canals: Historical and Commercial Information (PDF). Office of the New York State Engineer and Surveyor.
- ^ "Finch Objects to More Delay". New York Times. 15 December 1926. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
State Engineer Roy G. Finch, a member of the New York State Water Power Commission, said today that he was disappointed in Governor Smith's speech on water ...
- ^ "Annual Award of Medals and Prizes". Engineering News-Record. McGraw-Hill. 1929. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
Arthur M. Wellington Prize [to] Roy G. Finch, whose paper on "New York State Barge Canal and Its Operation" ...
- ^ Congressional Serial Set. United States Government Printing Office. 1932.
On April 30, 1930, Mr. Roy G. Finch was appointed a member of the board ...
- ^ "Athletic Council To Supervise Policy". RPI Alumni News.
The ten members selected [include]: ...Roy Finch, RPI '06, member of board of trustees