Cliff Finch
| Cliff Finch | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 57th Governor of Mississippi | |
|
In office January 20, 1976 – January 22, 1980 |
|
| Lieutenant | Evelyn Gandy |
| Preceded by | Bill Waller |
| Succeeded by | William Winter |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1960 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Clifton Finch April 4, 1927 Pope, Panola County Mississippi, USA |
| Died | April 22, 1986 (aged 59) Batesville, Panola County Mississippi |
| Resting place | Magnolia Cemetery in Batesville, Mississippi |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Zelma Lois Smith Finch (1926-2007) |
| Alma mater | University of Mississippi School of Law |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Battles/wars | Italian Campaign of World War II |
Charles Clifton "Cliff" Finch (April 4, 1927 – April 22, 1986) was an American politician. He was the 57th Governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi, from 1976 to 1980.
Finch was born in the village of Pope in Panola County, northern Mississippi, the son of Ruth Christine (McMinn) and Carl Bedford Finch. At age 18, he enlisted in World War II and was sent into the Italian Campaign as part of the 88th Infantry Division. After the war, Finch worked in construction on the Pacific island of Guam. He then attended the University of Mississippi at Oxford. In 1958, he graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Finch entered politics in 1960 and was elected as a Democrat to the Mississippi House of Representatives. In 1964 and again in 1968, he was elected district attorney for the Seventeenth Judicial District. In 1971, he was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor.
In 1975, Finch forged a coalition of African American and working class white voters in a populist-style gubernatorial campaign. To show his concern for working people, he sacked groceries, drove bulldozers, and performed other menial jobs. Finch adopted the campaign slogan "The working man's friend," with those letters featured on a black lunch box in drawings and placards. This campaign tactic proved popular as Finch was elected over Republican nominee Gil Carmichael, then an automobile dealer from Meridian, and the African American Independent candidate Henry Kirksey. Carmichael did, however, draw 45 percent of the vote, an exceptionally high figure for a statewide Republican candidate at that time.
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