Gustavus A. Finkelnburg

Gustavus Adolphus Finkelnburg (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʊstaf ˈfɪŋkəlnbʊʁk]; April 6, 1837 – May 18, 1908) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from Missouri.

Born near Cologne, Germany, Finkelnburg immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1848, settling in St. Charles, Missouri. He attended St. Charles College and graduated from Cincinnati Law School in 1859. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1860, commencing practice in St. Louis, Missouri. During the Civil War, Finkelnburg served as a private in the Union Army and was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1864 to 1868, serving as speaker pro tempore in 1868.

Finkelnberg was elected a Republican and later reelected a Liberal Republican to the United States House of Representatives in 1868, serving from 1869 to 1873. He was also the unsuccessful nominee for Governor or Missouri in the 1876 election.

Finkelnburg was a federal judge to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri; Finkelnburg received a recess appointment from Theodore Roosevelt on May 20, 1905, to a seat vacated by Elmer B. Adams. He was formally nominated on December 5, 1905, and was confirmed by the United States Senate and received commission on December 12, 1905. Finkelnburg resigned March 31, 1907. He died in Denver, Colorado on May 18, 1908 and was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.