“F” is for Finney, Ernest Adolphus, Jr. (1931-2017). Lawyer, jurist, educator. A native of Virginia, Finney graduated from Claflin College and received his law degree from South Carolina State University. After law school he taught school in Horry County. Finney moved his family to Sumter and devoted himself to law practice. He soon gained a reputation as an outstanding defense lawyer and civil rights advocate. In 1972 he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives where he served until 1976 when he was elected a circuit court judge. In 1985 he was elected an associate justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court—and in 1994 was elected chief justice. After retiring in 2000, Ernest Adolphus Finney, Jr. practiced law briefly with a son and served as interim president of South Carolina State University.
“F” is for Finney, Ernest Adolphus, Jr. (1931-2017)
