[1][2] Thomas Finney was born 10 January 1837[3] at Currakeen House, Tuam, Galway, Ireland.

He began work at a drapery shop in 1856, and in 1862 emigrated to Brisbane, Queensland with his partner James Isles.

In 1869 the company had branches in Rockhampton and Gympie, and by 1873 it had expanded into the areas of tailoring, furniture, furnishing, and hardware.

The business suffered severely in 1893 from flood waters and from the financial crisis, but soon recovered.

At some point Finney was elected to the Toowong Shire Council, and in 1896 he won the electoral district of Toowong and was seated in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, holding his seat until his resignation in 1902.