We focus on the finite-time control of a hydro-turbine governing system (HGS) in this paper. First, the nonlinear mathematical model of the hydro-turbine governing system is presented and is consistent with the actual project. Then, based on the finite-time stability theory and terminal sliding mode scheme, a new finite-time terminal sliding mode controller is designed for the hydro-turbine governing system and a detailed mathematical derivation is given. Only three vector controllers are required, which is less than the HGS equation dimensions and is easy to implement accordingly. Furthermore, numerical simulations for the proposed scheme and an existing sliding mode control are presented to verify the validity and advantage of improving transient performance. The approach proposed in this paper is simple and provides a reference for relevant hydropower systems.