Finney, Joan, 1925-2001

Joan Finney (February 12, 1925 – July 28, 2001) was an American politician who served as the 42nd Governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995, the first woman to hold that office. She had previously served four terms as the Kansas State Treasurer from 1975 to 1991, the first woman to hold that office as well.

Born Joan Marie McInroy in Topeka, Kansas, she graduated from high school in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1942. Her early political career started in 1959, when she joined the staff of Republican U.S. Senator Frank Carlson, remaining there until Carlson's 1969 retirement. From 1970 to 1972, she served as Commissioner of Elections for Shawnee County, Kansas. In 1972, running as a Republican, she was an unsuccessful candidate for a U.S. House seat in Kansas's 2nd congressional district. After switching her political affiliation from Republican to Democrat, she served as the first female Kansas State Treasurer from 1975 to 1991. In 1978, she graduated from Washburn University with a degree in economic history.

After upsetting former Governor John W. Carlin in the 1990 Democratic primary for governor, Finney defeated incumbent Republican Mike Hayden in the general election becoming the first woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election in the United States. In addition to being the State of Kansas's first female governor, Finney was Kansas' first Roman Catholic governor, and also one of the few anti-abortion Democratic governors of her time. Taking office at age 65, she was also Kansas' oldest governor until Laura Kelly was inaugurated at age 68 in 2019. Finney retired after the 1994 election. In 1996, she ran for the U. S. Senate seat vacated by Bob Dole but was defeated in the Democratic primary.

Finney died in 2001 from complications of liver cancer.