John J. Finnegan, who represented Dorchester in the state Legislature before serving as the state's Auditor for seven years in the 1980s, has died at age 86.

According to a death notice published in the Naples Daily News in Florida, where he has lived in his retirement, he died on March 31. A retired attorney who attended St. Ann’s Grammar School in Dorchester, Cathedral High School, University of Massachusetts Amherst and New England School of Law graduate, Finnegan was the son of a state senator, Joseph Finnegan, for whom a state park is named in Port Norfolk.

John Finnegan served in the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1981, and as State Auditor 1981-1986.

He leaves behind his wife Betty and daughters Helen and Elizabeth.

Former state Senator W. Paul White, who served with Finnegan in the House of Representatives, called him "a great colleague and an accomplished leader from an iconic Dorchester family."

"His many years of devoted public service and the actions which he took as a member of the legislature, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and later as state-wide Auditor, had enormous beneficial impact on the Commonwealth and for the people of Dorchester," said White. "May he rest in peace."

He also leaves behind three grandchildren and three great grandchildren, and his siblings Stephen Finnegan, Eleanora Golden, and Julie Matzel. A funeral mass will be held at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Naples on Tuesday, April 22, at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Avow Hospice at 1095 Whippoorwill Ln, Naples, FL, 34105.