William Flinn was born in Manchester, England on May 26, 1851. His family emigrated to the United States that same year and settled in Pittsburgh, where he eventually rose to prominence with his contracting firm of Booth & Flinn, Limited. This company built several bridges and tunnels around Pittsburgh. In 1877 Flinn was elected to Pittsburgh's Board of Fire Commissioners, and was in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the sessions of 1879 and 1881. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from 1884 through 1912, and from 1884 until 1901 he served as chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County. Flinn also served three terms in the State Senate, from 1890 to 1902, and was a supporter of Theodore Roosevelt's "Bull Moose" party. He died in 1924. A brief biography of William Flinn, with information about the structures his company built, can be seen at: http://pghbridges.com/articles/biography/flinn-william.htm.
From the description of Papers of William Flinn, 1898-1921. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 30992159
