George Finlay (1799 - 1875), historian, of Scottish descent, was born at Faversham, Kent, where his father, an officer in the army, was inspector of government powder mills. Intended for the law, he was educated at Glasgow, Goettingen, and Edinburgh, but becoming an enthusiast in the cause of Greece, he joined Byron in the war of independence, and thereafter bought a property near Athens, where he settled and busied himself with schemes for the improvement of the country, which had little success. His History of Greece, produced in sections between 1843 and 1861, did not at first receive the recognition which its merits deserved, but it has since been given by students in all countries, and specially in Germany, a place among works of permanent value, alike for its literary style and the depth and insight of its historical views. It was re-issued in 1877 as A History of Greece from the Roman Conquest to the Present Time (146 B.C. to 1864).

This article is originally from A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature.