John Park Finley | |
|---|---|
 Finley in 1913 | |
| Born | April 11, 1854 |
| Died | November 24, 1943 (aged 89) Battle Creek, Michigan, US |
| Known for | Tornado research |
John Park Finley (April 11, 1854 – November 24, 1943) was an American meteorologist and Army Signal Service officer who was the first person to study tornadoes intensively and pioneer tornado forecasting. He also wrote the first known book on the subject as well as many other manuals and booklets, collected vast climatological data, set up a nationwide weather observer network, started one of the first private weather enterprises, and opened an early aviation weather school.[1][2][3][4]
John Park Finley was born on April 11, 1854, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In the late 1860s into the early 1870s, he attended Michigan State Agricultural and Mechanical College, now Michigan State University. He graduated with a Bachelors in Science in 1873, specializing in climate impacts on agriculture. In 1877, he enlisted in US Army Signal Service, and was subsequently assigned to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania signal office, where he kindled an interest in severe weather and tornadoes. Finley was soon stationed in Washington, where he was frequently ordered by the service to survey nearby tornado damage.[5] In subsequent years, Finley authored several books, including his Tornadoes: What They Are and How To Observe Them. He died on November 24, 1943, in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The University of Oklahoma holds a large collection of Finley's publications. Here are some selected works, which may or may not be contained in said collection:
