Finney, Vital Bangs

Vital Bangs Fincher was an educator and viticulturist born in Stanislaus County in 1873. After graduating from high school in 1893, he worked as a school teacher and a justice of the peace in northern California. He eventually returned to Fresno County, where he spent twelve years successfully leasing and operating his family’s large home farm.

When the estate was later subdivided, Fincher inherited and purchased multiple tracts, smartly selling portions of the land at a profit. Despite a breakdown in his health that forced him into a supervisory role, he established a thriving vineyard featuring Malaga and Muscat grapes. He managed his ranch alongside his wife, Beulah, while actively participating in local raisin and grape growers’ associations.