James Fincham
James Fincham (1838-1914)
1915 Obituary [1]
JAMES FINCHAM, born in London on the 25th October, 1838, died at Lindisfarne, near Hobart, Tasmania, on the 18th July, 1914.
After serving a pupilage to Messrs. Liddell and Gordon, of Westminster, he was occupied on the survey and construction of various railways in the Midlands.
In 1872 he left England to take charge of the construction of the main-line railway through Tasmania, and in 1877 he was appointed Engineer of Railways and Public Works for the Colony, subsequently becoming Engineer-in-Chief to Tasmania. In this capacity he carried out railways, roads, telegraphs, harbours, buildings, and other public works for the development of the Colony.
In 1894, owing to financial depression, the post was abolished and Mr. Fincham was given a Treasury appointment until 1903, when he was reappointed Engineer-in-Chief, and retained the office until his retirement in 1911. He was a member of various public and professional bodies in Tasmania.
Mr. Fincham was elected a Member of the Institution on the 3rd February, 1885.