Sir Henry Edward Manning, KBE QC (18 December 1877 – 3 May 1963) was an Australian lawyer and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for 25 years from 1932 to 1958 and also served as the Attorney General and

Vice-President of the Executive Council The Vice-President of the Executive Council is the minister in the Government of Australia who acts as the presiding officer of meetings of the Federal Executive Council when the Governor-General is absent. The Vice-President of the Executiv ...

from 1932 to 1941.

Early life and legal career

Henry Edward Manning was born on 18 December 1877 in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Sir William Patrick Manning, a prominent financier and future MP and Mayor of Sydney, and his wife Honora Torphy. Initially educated at

Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview Saint Ignatius' College Riverview is an Australian independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Jesuit tradition, located in Riverview, a small suburb located on the Lane Cove River on the ...

, Manning went on to study at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1900 and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

(LLB) in 1902, Manning was called to the Bar in 1902. After distinguishing himself in the NSW Western Circuit Court, Manning became an associate to Justice

Richard O'Connor General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, (21 August 1889 – 17 June 1981) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars, and commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of the Second World War. ...

and a law reporter to the High Court of Australia from 1904 to 1905. In 1904 Manning married Nora Antonia Martin, the youngest daughter of Sir James Martin, and they had two daughters. From 1905 Manning returned to practice at the New South Wales Bar, where he established a reputation in

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipres ...

and the Vice Admiralty Court of New South Wales. Manning was appointed a King's Counsel (KC) in 1927 and was appointed as a deputy Judge of the Land and Valuation Court in 1929.

Political career

Manning first attempted to enter NSW politics when he stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal Reform Party candidate for the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

seat of Phillip at the 1910 election, the seat of King at the 1913 election, and again as the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

candidate in King at the 1932 election. Despite this, Manning was nominated, and subsequently appointed for a life term, by Premier Bertram Stevens to the Legislative Council of New South Wales and then joined Stevens' second ministry as Attorney General and, by virtue of his now leadership of the government members in the Legislative Council,

, on 17 June 1932. Manning, who had been interested in reforming of the council towards being a non-partisan House of review, involved himself in drafting a proposal, with support from Stevens, for an Upper House of sixty members, elected to a statewide electorate by a joint session of Parliament. His proposal, informed by the significant criticism of the elitist nature of the current Council, especially from the Labor Party, was subsequently adopted by parliament and approved at a statewide referendum in 1933. Consequently, Manning, whose life appointment was now void, was elected to the new council for a six-year term on 7 November 1933, and retained his cabinet positions until government's defeat at the 1941 election. On 2 January 1939 he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) "In recognition of service to politics and government" From 1934 to 1948 he was a fellow of the Senate of the University of Sydney. In opposition, Manning was unofficially regarded as the leader of the non-Labor members but, affirmed of his beliefs regarding a non-partisan council, refused the role when offered to him. He further opposed in 1950 a proposal that the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

should form a party in the council, though his ideas for a non-partisan council came under attack from the Liberals and a Labor Party reanimating its longstanding policy to abolish the upper house. Elected to a second six-year term on 14 March 1946, he retired from the council in April 1958 and was granted the title "

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

" for life.

Later life

Manning was chairman of

MLC Limited MLC was an Australian business that provides investments, insurance and superannuation solutions to corporate, institutional, and retail customers. Due to divestments in the early 21st century, there are now two businesses, with no ownership lin ...

from 1945 to 1961. By the end of his life considered "one of Australia's leading constitutional law experts", and survived by his two daughters, Manning died at his home following an Asthma attack in Randwick on 3 May 1963 and was buried in the Catholic section of Northern Suburbs cemetery after a service at

St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians (colloquially, St Mary's Cathedral) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney, curre ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Henry 1877 births 1963 deaths Attorneys General of New South Wales Australian barristers Australian King's Counsel Australian Roman Catholics Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales 20th-century King's Counsel United Australia Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales University of Sydney alumni