John B. Manning

John Baker Manning (July 13, 1833 – April 28, 1908) was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York, serving during January 1883 – 1884, in the aftermath of the resignation of Grover Cleveland.

John B. Manning
Portrait of John B. Manning
38th Mayor of Buffalo
In office January 16, 1883 – January 6, 1884
Preceded by	Harmon S. Cutting
Succeeded by	Jonathan Scoville
Personal details
Born	John Baker Manning July 13, 1833 Albany, New York
Died	April 28, 1908(1908-04-28) (aged 74) Brooklyn, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Elizabeth House ​ ​ (m. 1856; died 1894)​ Marie Schwank ​ ​ (m. 1897; died 1908)​
Relations	Daniel Manning (brother) James Hilton Manning (nephew)
Children	7

Early life

Manning was born July 13, 1833, in Albany, New York. He was a son of John Manning and Eleanor (née Oley) Manning. Among his siblings was Daniel Manning, who served as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1885 to 1887.^[1] James Hilton Manning, who served as mayor of Albany, was his nephew.^[2][3]

As a child, Manning served as a page in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate.^[4]

Career

In 1860–1862, he was the Albany correspondent for the Brooklyn Eagle. Several years later, he moved to Buffalo and established his commission and malting businesses there.^[5]

Manning was elected mayor in a special election held on January 9, 1883, as the Democratic candidate. He continued the string of vetoes begun by Mayor Grover Cleveland; they saved the city a great financial loss. Manning retired from politics after losing his campaign for re-election.^[5]

He continued to grow and expand the malting business and built several grain elevators in the 1890s, each with a large storage capacity. On May 30, 1902, the largest fire Black Rock had ever seen consumed Manning's Frontier Canada plant.

Personal life

On January 14, 1856, Manning was married to Elizabeth House of Troy, New York. Before her death in 1894, they were the parents of:^[4]

• Franklin Manning (1856–1935), who married Jennie Louise Ogden in 1881. After her death in 1885, he married Anna Marguerite Sapp.^[4]
• Lillian Manning (1859–1929), who married Henry W. Root.^[4]
• John O. Manning (1863–1928), who married Julia Millington in 1884.^[4]
• Mary Elizabeth Manning (1865–1926), who married Richard Coulter Osterhout.^[4]
• William H. Manning (1868–1943), who married Harriet E.^[4]
• Daniel V. Manning (1872–1931), who married Florence P. Freeman in 1900.^[4]
• Grace Manning (1878–1879), who died young.^[4]

After her death, he married Marie Ellenora "Mary" Schwank of Reading, Pennsylvania in 1897. Mary, the daughter of Adam Schwank and Marianna Elizabeth (née Hartman) Schwank, was the half-sister of actor Bernard "Barney" (Schwank) McDonough.^[4]

He died on April 28, 1908, at 953 St. Mark's Avenue, his home in Brooklyn, New York,^[6] and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.^[5]

References

1. Memorial and Family History of Erie County, New York. Vol. II. New York, NY: Genealogical Publishing Company. 1906. p. 148 – via Google Books.
2. Failor, Kenneth M.; Hayden, Eleanora (1972). Medals of the United States Mint. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 102 – via Google Books.
3. Memorial and Family History of Erie County, New York. Vol. II. New York, NY: Genealogical Publishing Company. 1906. p. 148 – via Google Books.
4. Rizzo, Michael (2005). Through The Mayors' Eyes. Lulu. p. 424. ISBN 978-1-4116-3757-3.
5. "John B. Manning". Through The Mayor's Eyes, The Only Complete History of the Mayor's of Buffalo, New York, Compiled by Michael Rizzo. The Buffalonian is produced by The Peoples History Union. 2009-05-27. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
6. "John B. Manning". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 29 April 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

Political offices
Preceded by Harmon S. Cutting	Mayor of Buffalo, NY 1883–1884	Succeeded by Jonathan Scoville