Finis Ewing Downing was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

Born in Virginia, Illinois

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

, Downing attended public and private schools.
He engaged in mercantile pursuits in Virginia, Illinois

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

, and Butler, Missouri from 1864 to 1880.
He served as member of the board of aldermen, Virginia, Illinois

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

 from 1876 to 1878.
He served as mayor 1878-1880.
He served as clerk of the circuit court of Cass County 1880-1892.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 in December 1887 and commenced practice at Virginia, Illinois

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

.
He engaged in the newspaper business 1891-1897.
Secretary of the State senate in 1892 and 1893.
Presented credentials as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

ic Member-elect to the Fifty-fourth

54th United States Congress

- House of Representatives :-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Adlai E. Stevenson * President pro tempore: William P. Frye - Majority leadership :* Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman- Minority leadership :...

 Congress and served from March 4, 1895, to June 5, 1896, when he was succeeded by John I. Rinaker, who contested his election.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1896.
He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for secretary of state of Illinois in 1896.
He resumed the practice of law in Virginia, Illinois

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

, and also engaged in the real-estate business.
He died in Virginia, Illinois

Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Virginia is located at ....

, March 8, 1936.
He was interred in Walnut Ridge Cemetery.