Thomas J. Manton

Thomas J. Manton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 7th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	Gary Ackerman
Succeeded by	Joseph Crowley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 9th district
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Geraldine Ferraro
Succeeded by	Charles E. Schumer
Personal details
Born	November 3, 1932 New York City, New York
Died	July 22, 2006(2006-07-22) (aged 73) Bronx, New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic

Thomas J. Manton (November 3, 1932 – July 22, 2006) was a Democratic congressman. He represented the 9th and 7th Congressional District of New York.

Life and career

Thomas J. Manton was born in New York City and of Irish descent. He attended private Catholic schools, before entering St. John's University, from which he earned his LL.B.. Manton served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.

Prior to entering politics, Manton held several jobs. He was a New York City Police Officer from 1955 to 1960, and he then became a marketing executive for IBM. In 1964, Manton began to practice law privately. He joined the law firm of Manton, Sweeney, Gallo, Reich & Bolz in 1999; and practiced law under that name until his retirement.

Manton served in the United States House of Representatives representing parts of the boroughs of Queens and Bronx from 1985 to 1999. He was elected to the seat opened by Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro in a hotly contested Primary and General Election in 1984. He defeated Clifford Wilson, Walter Crowley and Gloria D'Amico in the party primary; and went on to defeat Serphin Maltese in the General Election.

Manton was elected Chairman of the Democratic Organization of Queens County in 1986, succeeding John Sabini who had served as the interim Chairman following the suicide of Donald Manes.

Manton quietly retired from the Congress in 1998, having already filed for and circulated petitions for re-election. He withdrew on the last day it was legally possible to do so and arranged for his chosen successor, State Assemblyman Joseph Crowley, to replace him on the ballot. Crowley wasn't aware of this until Manton phoned him to tell him his name would be on the general election ballot. Crowley won the election and still holds the seat.^[1] Manton continued to serve as the Party Chairman to the date of his death (Crowley now holds that post as well).

Tom Manton was the first major party chairman in the nation to endorse Bill Clinton for President in 1992. As the Co-chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs in the United States Congress he was instrumental in obtaining a visa for Gerry Adams to travel to the United States.As a member of Congress Mr. Manton served as a member of the House Energy Committee and was a subcommittee chairman of the House Government Operations Committee that supervised the Capitol Police.

He entered the Congress as the successor to Geraldine Ferraro who was the first woman nominated for the Vice President of the United States of America by a major political party. His last vote in the House was to vote against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

He lived in the Queens neighborhoods of Woodside, later moving to Sunnyside, and finally to Astoria.

Thomas Manton died on July 22, 2006, following a battle with prostate cancer.

The Thomas J. Manton Post Office in Woodside, New York was named in his honor after his death. Also a 20 block stretch of Queens Boulevard in Queens, New York City was renamed Thomas J. Manton Boulevard.^[2]

References

• "Thomas Manton, former congressman from New York, dies", Newsday, July 23, 2006
• "Thomas J. Manton Dies; Ex-Congressman Was 73", by Sewell Chan, July 23, 2006, New York Times
• Congressional Biographical Directory

External links

• United States Congress. "Thomas J. Manton (id: M000117)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.