Joan Marie Finney was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995.
12 Facts About Joan Finney
1.
2.
Joan Finney was the daughter of Leonard and Mary Sands McInroy.
3.
Joan Finney's father abandoned the family shortly after her birth.
4.
In 1978, Joan Finney graduated from Washburn University with a bachelor's degree in economic history.
5.
From 1953 to 1969, Joan Finney served on the staff of Republican US Senator Frank Carlson.
6.
Joan Finney served as a special assistant to Topeka Mayor Bill McCormick from 1973 to 1974.
7.
Joan Finney was the first woman to hold that position.
8.
Joan Finney then went on to defeat incumbent Republican Mike Hayden in the general election, becoming the first woman in US history to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election.
9.
Joan Finney was known for her pro-Native American stances and was one of the few anti-abortion Democratic governors of her time.
10.
Joan Finney served only one term as governor, retiring after the 1994 election.
11.
Joan Finney died in 2001 from complications of liver cancer at St Francis Hospital in Topeka.
12.
Joan Finney is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Topeka.