Stanley Wellington Finch (July 20, 1872 – 22 November 1951) was the first director of the Bureau of Investigation (1908–1912), which would eventually become the FBI.

He became a clerk in the United States Department of Justice, where he worked off and on for almost 40 years.

As chief examiner, Finch advocated setting up a squad of detectives within the Justice Department.

Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte created a Special Agent force and gave oversight of the force, later named the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), to Finch.

From 1913 to the 1930s, Finch alternated between private employment—primarily in the novelty manufacturing business—and positions in the Justice Department.