Leon Finney Jr.

In the early 1960s, Finney joined the United States Marine Corps where he served as a policeman and criminal investigator. After his stint in the marine corps, Finney returned to Chicago. In 1964, Finney became involved with The Woodlawn Organization, becoming an organizer. In 1967, Finney became the Executive Director of the organization.^[7] and president of the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation in 1969.^[8]

During the 1960s, his early years with the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation Finney helped cite property owners who were deemed slumlords in the Woodlawn area. Due to his community efforts, Finney was appointed as a member of the Chicago Plan Commission by then-Mayor Jane Byrne in May 1979. Finney, through the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation managed public housing and subsidized units in the area. In 2003, Finney purchased the former Metropolitan Community Church building at 4100 South King Drive; renaming it Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church.^[9]

Finney has been married twice and has at least two children but some sources cite four.^{[citation needed]} His first marriage was to Sharon M. Hall in June 1970 and together they had two children, Kristin (b. 1970)^{[citation needed]} and Leon III (1972–1998).^[10] They later divorced in February 1994. In June 2002, Finney married Georgette Greenlee. Greenlee later filed for divorce in 2019.^[11] Finney died on September 4, 2020, at the University of Chicago Medical Center.^[12]

In September 2019, Finney was accused of fraud and mismanagement after his business, the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation filed for bankruptcy the previous October.^[13] At the time of the bankruptcy, the Woodlawn Community Development owed $4.2 million in taxes, interest and penalties according to the IRS. In June 2019, its contract to manage 4,300 public housing sites with the Chicago Housing Authority was canceled after being accused of mismanagement, totaling $400,000 in damages by the authority.^[14]