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{{short description|Physician and Surgeon General of the US Army}}
{{Infobox military person
| name =Clement Alexander Finley
| image =
| caption =
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▲| placeofbirth = [[Newville, Pennsylvania]]
| nickname =
| birth_name =
| allegiance =
| branch = [[United States Army]]<br/>[[Union Army]]
| serviceyears =
| rank = [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]
| servicenumber =
| unit = [[Army Medical Department (United States)|Army Medical Department]]
| commands = [[Surgeon General of the United States Army
| battles = [[Black Hawk War]] <br/>
[[2nd Seminole War]] <br/> [[Mexican–American War]] *[[Siege of Veracruz]] [[American Civil War]]
| battles_label =
| awards =
| relations = [[Brigadier General (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Daniel Webster Flagler]] (son in law) <br/>[[Major General (United States)|Major General]] [[Clement Flagler]] (grandson)<br/>Major General [[Thomas D. Finley]] (grandson)
| laterwork =
}}
'''Clement Alexander Finley''' (May 11, 1797
==Early life==
Clement Finley was born at [[Newville
==Education==
With the educational facilities of Chillicothe exhausted, he was sent to [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania]], near his birthplace, to [[Dickinson College]] where he was graduated in 1815. He then went to [[Philadelphia]] where in 1818 he was given the degree of [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]] by the [[University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine]].<ref>{{cite web|title=What Every Faculty Member Should Know |url=http://www.med.upenn.edu/facaffairscurriculum/orientation/ |publisher=Perelman School of Medicine |accessdate=27 November 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008031534/http://www.med.upenn.edu/facaffairscurriculum/orientation/ |archivedate=8 October 2011 }}</ref> On August 30, 1833 he matriculated as a therapeutist at the Therapeutic Institute of Philadelphia.
==Military==
His father's military service attracted him to the army, which had recently emerged from the [[War of 1812]], and on August 10, 1818, he was commissioned as a surgeon's mate of the [[1st Infantry Regiment (United States)|1st Infantry]]. The forty-three years that intervened before he became Surgeon General were filled largely with routine garrison duty, but included much field service in the wars of the period. His first assignment carried with it four years with his regiment in Louisiana, then two years in what was then the wilds of [[Arkansas]], at [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]. In the years from 1825 to 1828 he served at [[Fort Gibson]]. He also
Following this he passed three years at [[Fort Dearborn]], Illinois, where he saw the beginning of [[Chicago|Chicago's]] marvelous growth.
==Surgeon General
Surgeon General [[Thomas Lawson (Military physician)|Lawson's]] death came unexpectedly and it was generally considered that his successor would be Surgeon [[Robert Crooke Wood|Robert C. Wood]], a high
[[File:Clement Alexander Finley
The new Surgeon General was sixty-four at the time of appointment, but was in good physical condition and entered the office keen for the heavy duties devolving upon him. Beyond his office work he was busy in the furtherance of legislation and in the selection of hospital buildings and sites in the capital city. It is difficult at this time to determine to what extent Finley influenced the policies and legislation affecting the medical department during his term of office. The [[United States Sanitary Commission]] was active with criticism and recommendations and had high influence with Congress. The act passed on August 3, 1861 (12 Stat. 288), increasing the number of officers and providing for the employment of medical cadets and female nurses was no doubt in response to recommendations from both the office of the Surgeon General and the Sanitary Commission. The act also provided for the creation of boards for the consideration of cases of disability. A provision for two assistants to the Surgeon General with the rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]], contained in the original bill, was stricken out.
On April 16, 1862, an act was passed (12 Stat. 378) for the reorganization of the medical department which gave the Surgeon General the rank of [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]], created an assistant Surgeon General and a medical inspector with rank of colonel, eight medical inspectors with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and provided for medical purveyors. This was the first time when actual rank in the medical department had exceeded the grade of major, except that the Surgeon General had the grade of colonel. But Finley was not to achieve the advanced grade, as he was retired on his own application on April 14, 1862, two days before the passage of that act. He had incurred the displeasure of [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[Edwin M. Stanton]] by a hospital appointment and after a heated interview with the Secretary had been relieved from his office and directed to repair to Boston and await orders. From Boston he appealed against the treatment accorded him, but despite the efforts of influential friends no action could be obtained and hopeless of justice and redress he applied for admission to the retired list. In the meantime, and until the appointment of his successor, Surgeon Wood performed the duties of Surgeon General.
==Marriage==
In 1832 he married Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Dr. [[Samuel Moore (congressman)|Samuel Moore]], at that time director of the [[United States Mint]] at Philadelphia and formerly member of Congress from [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania]]. The couple had nine children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/a/i/t/James-Aitcheson/GENE1-0024.html |title=Descendants of Fearchar McFinlay |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606034559/http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/a/i/t/James-Aitcheson/GENE1-0024.html |archivedate=2011-06-06 }}</ref> Their daughter Mary McCalla Finley (1834–1907) was the wife of [[Daniel Webster Flagler]] and mother of [[Clement Flagler]].Their son, Walter Lowrie Finley, went to West Point and had a long career in Army
==Later life==
After his retirement Finley made his home in West Philadelphia. In 1865, he was given the brevet rank of
==
{{US Army}}
*[http://history.amedd.army.mil/surgeongenerals/C_Finley.html US Army Medical Department]
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==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[
*[https://archive.org/details/surgeongenerals00pilcgoog/page/n68 <!-- pg=40 --> 1905 Bio]
*{{Find a Grave|20197}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Clement}}
[[Category:1797 births]]
[[Category:1879 deaths]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Dickinson College alumni]]
[[Category:Military physicians]]▼
[[Category:People from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Surgeons General of the United States Army]]
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