Richard J. Finnegan (1884-1955) was a prominent 20th century Chicago newspaper editor.
As a youngster, Finnegan worked as an office boy for the Chicago Chronicle.
Covering the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire was his first big story and was rewarded with a permanent reporter job.
He later moved to the Chicago Inter Ocean, where he reported for two years, and studied law at night.
He then moved to the evening Chicago Daily Journal, eventually rising to the role of managing editor of that paper in 1916.