# Skip Finn > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Skip_Finn > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Skip_Finn.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_Finn > Source revision: 1263217618 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Skip Finn |image = Harold_"Skip"_Finn.png |state_senate = Minnesota |district = 4th |prior_term = |term_start = January 8, 1991 |term_end = July 1, 1996 |predecessor = |successor = |birth_name = Harold Raymond Finn{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/bemidji-pioneer-jun-12-1971-p-4/|title=Bemidji Pioneer Newspaper Archives, Jun 12, 1971, p. 4|newspaper=Newspaperarchive.com|date=12 June 1971}} |birth_date = {{Birth date|1948|10|27}} |birth_place = [Cass Lake, Minnesota](/source/Cass_Lake%2C_Minnesota), U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|05|17|1948|10|27}} |death_place = [Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis), Minnesota, U.S. |party = [Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party](/source/Minnesota_Democratic%E2%80%93Farmer%E2%80%93Labor_Party) |spouse = {{marriage|Teri Backer|1980|2018}} |children = 2 |alma_mater = [University of Minnesota Law School](/source/University_of_Minnesota_Law_School) |occupation = [Attorney](/source/Attorneys_in_the_United_States) }} '''Harold Raymond''' "'''Skip'''" '''Finn''' (October 27, 1948 – May 17, 2018) was an American politician, who represented Minnesota's 4th district in the [Minnesota Senate](/source/Minnesota_Senate) as a member of the [Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party](/source/Democratic-Farmer-Labor_Party). ==Biography== Born in [Cass Lake, Minnesota](/source/Cass_Lake%2C_Minnesota), to a Norwegian father and a [Native American](/source/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) mother, Finn was a member of the [Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe](/source/Leech_Lake_Band_of_Ojibwe). He attended [Moorhead State College](/source/Minnesota_State_University_Moorhead) (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](/source/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](/source/University_of_Minnesota_Law_School) to receive his Juris Doctor in 1979.{{cite web |url=https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/government-and-politics/4448090-former-state-sen-harold-skip-finn-dies |title=Former state Sen. Harold 'Skip' Finn dies |author= |date=May 18, 2018 |work=[The Bemidji Pioneer](/source/The_Bemidji_Pioneer) |access-date=May 18, 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://lptv.org/former-state-senator-harold-skip-finn-dies/ |title=Former State Senator Harold "Skip" Finn Dies |last=Green |first=Nathan |date=May 17, 2018 |publisher=Lakeland PBS |access-date=May 18, 2018}} Finn worked as an Ojibwe attorney and owned a small business, then ran for a [Minnesota Senate](/source/Minnesota_Senate) seat in 1990. He became the first Native American to serve as a Minnesota senator in 1991. He was the [majority whip](/source/Whip_(politics)) for the [78th](/source/78th_Minnesota_Legislature) and [79th Minnesota Legislature](/source/79th_Minnesota_Legislature)s. He served Minnesota's 4th state Senate district until his resignation in July 1996 after being convicted of fraud. ==Fraud conviction== In October 1995, Finn and two others were brought up on charges of conspiring to steal about {{US$|link=yes}}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.{{cite web |url=http://m.startribune.com/retiring-attorney-time-to-move-on/123957579/ |title=Retiring attorney: Time to move on |last=Walsh |first=James |date=June 15, 2011 |work=[Star Tribune](/source/Star_Tribune) |access-date=May 18, 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/919/1305/1581168/ |title=United States v. Finn, 919 F. Supp. 1305 (D. Minn. 1995) |date=October 12, 1995 |website=justia.com |access-date= May 18, 2018}} ==Personal life== Finn married his wife Teri (née Becker) in 1980. They have two children. His daughter, [Jamie Becker-Finn](/source/Jamie_Becker-Finn), currently serves in the [Minnesota House of Representatives](/source/Minnesota_House_of_Representatives). Finn died at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis on May 17, 2018. He was 69. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[https://obittree.com/obituary/us/minnesota/st-paul/mueller-memorial-funeral-and-cremation-services/skip-finn/3506762/ Obituary] *[https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=10179 Biography at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library] {{DEFAULTSORT:Finn, Skip}} Category:1948 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Category:Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni Category:University of Minnesota Law School alumni Category:American people of Norwegian descent Category:Leech Lake Band people Category:People from Cass Lake, Minnesota Category:Minnesota lawyers Category:Minnesota politicians convicted of crimes Category:20th-century American lawyers Category:Native American state legislators in Minnesota Category:University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni Category:20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Skip Finn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_Finn) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_Finn?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.