Joseph Edward Finerty (September 28, 1905 – November 7, 1992) was an American politician.
[1] Finerty's election was the first Gary election in which a majority of voters in the all-black Midtown neighborhood voted for the Democratic rather than the Republican party.
[2] In 1945, Finerty became enmeshed in a bitter controversy over racial integration of Froebel High School (since closed).
Backlash against his support for the school's pro-integration principal led him to withdraw his name from candidacy for reelection in 1947.
[3] Upon retirement, Finerty had a personal estate of US$3 million, despite having made only $8,000 per year in salary.