Skip Finn
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 4th district
In office
January 8, 1991 – July 1, 1996
Personal details
Born
Harold Raymond Finn[1]

(1948-10-27)October 27, 1948
Cass Lake, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMay 17, 2018(2018-05-17) (aged 69)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyMinnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Spouse
Teri Backer
​
(m. 1980⁠–⁠2018)​
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota Law School
OccupationAttorney

Harold Raymond "Skip" Finn (October 27, 1948 – May 17, 2018) was an American politician, who represented Minnesota's 4th district in the state's senate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Biography

Born in Cass Lake, Minnesota, to a Norwegian father and a Native American mother, Finn was a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. He attended Moorhead State College (now Minnesota State University Moorhead) for three years, studying sociology and American Indian studies. He transferred to the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971, the first alumnus to receive a degree in American Indian studies. He later returned to the U of M Law School to receive his Juris Doctor in 1979.[2][3]

Finn worked as an Ojibwe attorney and owned a small business, then ran for a Minnesota Senate office in 1990. He became the first Native American to serve as a Minnesota senator in 1991. He was the majority whip for the 78th and 79th Minnesota Legislatures. He served Minnesota's 4th state Senate district until his resignation in July 1996 after being convicted of fraud.[2][3]

Fraud conviction

In October 1995, Finn and two others were brought up on charges of conspiring to steal about US$1 million from the Leech Lake Band, as well as theft and mail fraud charges. Finn was sentenced to nearly five years in prison and fined $100,000.[2][3][4][5]

Personal life

Finn married his wife Teri (née Becker) in 1980. They had two children. His daughter, Jamie Becker-Finn, currently serves in the Minnesota House of Representatives.[2][3]

Finn died at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis on May 17, 2018. He was 69.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Bemidji Pioneer Newspaper Archives, Jun 12, 1971, p. 4". Newspaperarchive.com. 12 June 1971.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Former state Sen. Harold 'Skip' Finn dies". The Bemidji Pioneer. May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Green, Nathan (May 17, 2018). "Former State Senator Harold "Skip" Finn Dies". Lakeland PBS. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Walsh, James (June 15, 2011). "Retiring attorney: Time to move on". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  5. ↑ "United States v. Finn, 919 F. Supp. 1305 (D. Minn. 1995)". justia.com. October 12, 1995. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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