Dr. William Finlayson
Obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. William Edward Finlayson was born on September 1, 1924 in Manatee, Florida. Finlayson served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army from 1943 through 1946 and served in the Army Reserves from 1946 to 1953. He received his B.S. degree from Morehouse College in 1948 and his M.D. from Meharry Medical College in 1953. Finlayson completed his residency at the University of Minnesota in 1958.
After his residency ended, Finlayson established his own private practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1958. He continued to practice medicine for nearly the next forty years (from 1958 to 1997). Finlayson also held two fellowships: one at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist in 1963 and the other at the American College of Surgeons in 1964. He also taught at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
In 1971, Finlayson founded the first black-owned bank in Milwaukee: North Milwaukee State Bank. He also serves on the board of directors and is the bank’s chairman. In founding the bank, Finlayson’s mission was not profit based. Rather, he intended to add stature and viability to underserved communities by offering full-service banking to individuals and businesses. North Milwaukee State Bank’s mission is to facilitate community development and economic growth, personal and business advancement, home ownership growth, and financial education.
Finlayson is a member of the Milwaukee Medical Society and a house delegate to the Wisconsin Medical Society. He is a past president of the Milwaukee Gynecological Society and serves on the board of directors of the Southeastern Wisconsin Health System Agency. Finlayson is also a former president of his local YMCA board. He is a member of the Urban League and a lifetime member of the NAACP.
Finlayson was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 18, 2008.
A2008.135
Male
11/18/2008
Finlayson
Jones High School
Campbell Street High School
Booker T. Washington High School
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Morehouse College
Meharry Medical College
University of Minnesota Medical School
William
Manatee
FIN02
Spring
Florida
Hawaii

Wisconsin
9/1/1924
Milwaukee
USA
Steak
Bank chairman and obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. William Finlayson (1924 - ) established his own private practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1958, going on to found the first black-owned bank in Milwaukee, North Milwaukee State Bank.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Wheaton Franciscan St. Joseph Campus
Mt. Sinai Hospital
Medical College of Wisconsin
University of School of Medicine and Public Health
North Milwaukee State Banks
Brown
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633546">Tape: 1 Slating of Dr. William Finlayson's interview</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633547">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson lists his favorites</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633548">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson describes his mother's family background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633549">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson talks about his parents' marriage, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633550">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson describes his father's family background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633551">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson talks about his parents' marriage, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633552">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson describes his earliest childhood memory</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633553">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson describes the sights, sounds, and smells of his childhood</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633554">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson describes his neighborhood in Orlando, Florida</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633555">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson describes the sights and smells of his childhood</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633556">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson talks about his early involvement in the Baptist church</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633557">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson recalls his early education</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633558">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson remembers moving to Daytona Beach, Florida</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633559">Tape: 1 Dr. William Finlayson recalls his acquaintance with Mary McLeod Bethune</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633560">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson remembers Eleanor Roosevelt's relationship with the black community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633561">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson talks about his early experiences of segregation</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633562">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson recalls his early academic success</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633563">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson remembers Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633564">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson recalls his enrollment at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes in Tallahassee, Florida</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633565">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson remembers enlisting in the U.S. Army</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633566">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson recalls teaching literacy classes in the U.S. Army</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633567">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson recalls serving in Hawaii as a U.S. Army officer</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633568">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson describes his experiences at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633569">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson remembers studying accounting under Jesse B. Blayton Sr.</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633570">Tape: 2 Dr. William Finlayson remembers Benjamin Mays</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633571">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson describes his experiences at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633572">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson remembers working on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633573">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson recalls the importance of historically black medical schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633574">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson talks about his mentors at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633575">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson recalls meeting his wife</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633576">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson remembers the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, Minnesota</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633577">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson describes his obstetric board examinations</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633578">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson recalls his start as a gynecologist</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633579">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson describes the changes in birthing practices</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633580">Tape: 3 Dr. William Finlayson talks about the gynecological health problems in the black community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633581">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson remembers the HIV/AIDS epidemic</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633582">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson talks about the health problems in the African American community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633583">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson recalls his experiences of discrimination as a physician</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633584">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson remembers the housing discrimination in Milwaukee, Wisconsin</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633585">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson recalls the founding of the North Milwaukee State Bank</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633586">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson talks about the North Milwaukee State Bank</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633587">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson reflects upon his life</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633588">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson describes his involvement with the W.E.B. Du Bois Club</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633589">Tape: 4 Dr. William Finlayson talks about the financial crisis of 2008</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633590">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson talks about 'The Souls of Black Folk' by W.E.B. Du Bois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633591">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson describes his visit to Ghana with Reverend Leon Sullivan</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633592">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson describes the participants in the W.E.B. Du Bois Club</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633593">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson talks about his organizational affiliations</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633594">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson reflects upon his legacy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633595">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson shares his advice to aspiring doctors and bankers</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/633596">Tape: 5 Dr. William Finlayson describes how he would like to be remembered</a>