Stanley William Finch was born in Monticello,
New York, on July 20, 1872. He attended Baker University
in Kansas, the Corcoran Scientific School in Washington,
D.C., and business colleges in Albany and Washington,
D.C. In 1893, he accepted appointment as a clerk
in the Department of Justice, where he worked off
and on for 40 years. Mr. Finch rose from the position
of clerk to that of Chief Examiner between 1893 and
1908. While working in the Justice Department, Mr.
Finch earned an LL.B. degree (1908) and an LL.M.
degree (1909) from the National University Law School.
The Washington D.C. Bar admitted him to practice
in 1911.
As Chief Examiner, Mr. Finch advocated
the creation of an investigative squad within the
Justice Department, eventually becoming its first
leader. Attorney General Bonaparte created a Special
Agent force in the Department of Justice. Oversight
of this newly organized Special Agent force, later
named the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), was assigned
to Mr. Finch. In 1912, he left the BOI and was named
Special Commissioner for the Suppression of White
Slave Traffic. In 1913, he became a Special Assistant
to the Attorney General. From 1913 to the 1930s,
Mr. Finch alternated between private employment --
primarily in the novelty manufacturing business --
and positions in the Department of Justice. Mr. Finch
retired from the Department of Justice in 1940 and
died in 1951.