Here's what we know:
* Finney was a supporter of the "OK Club", a political group in Boston that used "OK" as a shorthand for "oll korrect". This was a popular misspelling of "all correct" at the time.
* Finney used "OK" extensively in his writing, particularly in a newspaper column he wrote for the Boston Morning Post.
* The term quickly gained popularity, spreading throughout the country through the newspaper and later through telegrams.
While others may have used "OK" before Finney, it was his popularization and consistent use that truly launched the term into the lexicon. However, it's important to note that this is just one theory, and the true origin remains uncertain.