Businessman.
Born in County Wicklow, Ireland in December 1883, he immigrated to Canada in 1906. For 25 years he was the Manager of the Canadian Liquid Air Company, retiring in 1949. He was a Manitoba Chair of the Canadian Manufacturers Association.
On 28 February 1925, he married Elizabeth Reid Watson (c1894-1989) at Winnipeg. They had three children: J. Reid Finlay (?-2012), Elizabeth Kathleen Mae Finlay (1928-2023, wife of Hugh Russell Makepeace), and David Watson Finlay (1930-2025). He was a member of the Masons (Scottish Rite, Prince Rupert Lodge), Rotary Club of Winnipeg, and Canadian Club of Winnipeg. For many years, he served on the council for the Village of Dunnottar, where he and his family maintained a cottage.
He died at Winnipeg on 9 October 1971.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Armadale Cottage (175 Gimli Road, Whytewold, Dunnottar)
1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
Marriage registration [James Henry Finlay, Elizabeth Reid Watson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 11 October 1971, page 23.
Obituary [Elizabeth Reid Finlay], Winnipeg Free Press, 28 March 1989, page 45.
Obituary [David Watson Finlay], Arbor Memorial.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 June 2026
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