George Joseph Finnigan

[3] During World War I, Finnigan served first as chaplain of the 137th Field Artillery Regiment of the US Army, stationed at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Deployed in France with the American Expeditionary Force, Finnigan was a chaplain with the 80th Field Artillery, earning the rank of captain.

Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1926 for a six-year term, but it was cut short when the pope appointed Finnigan to be bishop of Helena in 1927.

While several members of the Congregation of Holy Cross had been named to the episcopacy, Finnigan was the first to do so as a bishop in the United States.

The Crash, combined with a severe drought in Montana, obliged the diocese to increase its care for the poor.

[8] Finnigan worked hard to gain accreditation and long-term financial support for Mount St. Charles College.