Daniel Manning (May 16, 1831 – December 24, 1887) was an American journalist, banker, and politician. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was most notable for his service as the 37th

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

from 1885 to 1887 under President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. A native of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

, Manning began a newspaper career at age 11 and worked his way through the ranks of the ''Albany Argus'' to become president and publisher. Manning also undertook self-study to compensate for his lack of formal education and became recognized for his expertise in topics as varied as finance and fine art. Manning was also involved in banking and business, and became president of Albany's National Commercial Bank. Manning was active in politics as a

, and attended numerous state and national conventions as a delegate. As chair of the

New York Democratic Party The New York State Democratic Committee is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, and it has an office in Albany.Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

's successful campaign for president in 1884. Cleveland appointed Manning Secretary of the Treasury, and he served from 1885 to 1887. As head of the Treasury department, Manning advised Cleveland on fiscal and economic policy matters. As a trusted advisor, he provided input to Cleveland on political appointments and topics not directly related to his cabinet portfolio. Manning left the cabinet because of ill health. He served briefly as president of the Western National Bank of New York. He died in Albany on December 24, 1887. Manning was buried at

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Colonie, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical A ...

Menands, New York Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,990 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany. H ...

Early life

Daniel Manning was born in

on May 16, 1831, the son of John and Eleanor (Oley) Manning. Manning's siblings included John B. Manning, who served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He was educated in the local schools, and at age 11 he began working to help support his family, initially as a page for the New York State Assembly. He subsequently accepted a position as an errand boy for the ''Albany Atlas'' newspaper, which was later renamed the ''Albany Argus''.

Newspaper career

Manning worked his way through the ranks at the ''Argus'', including positions as stenographer, reporter, associate editor, editor, publisher, and owner and president. Manning devoted significant time to self-study to make up for his lack of formal education, and developed expertise in political science, banking and finance, and fine art. In addition to his newspaper interests, Manning was involved in banking and business. He was a trustee of Albany's National Savings Bank, and a director of Albany's National Commercial Bank. He became vice president of the National Commercial Bank in 1881, and he ascended to the presidency after the 1882 death of Robert H. Pruyn. Manning was also interested in railroads, including serving on the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad's board of directors. In addition, after the invention of the incandescent light bulb, Manning served on the board of directors of the Electric Light Company of Albany. Manning was also a director of the Albany Railway Company, the city's street railroad.

Political career

, for many years Manning was recognized as the leader of the party in Albany. He was a delegate to all the state Democratic conventions from 1874 to 1884. He served as a member of the state Democratic committee from 1874 to 1885, and secretary from 1879 to 1881. From 1881 to 1885, Manning was chair of the

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

, and

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's '' Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price at ...

. He was chair of the 1880 convention, and head of New York state's 1884 delegation. Manning was a friend and political ally of Samuel J. Tilden, and worked with him to oppose the political corruption of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

and the

Tweed Ring William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as William "Marcy" Tweed (see below), and widely known as "Boss" Tweed, was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany H ...

. During the 1884 United States presidential election, Manning was a leader of

's campaign. At the national convention, he played a key role in obtaining the nomination for Cleveland, and his efforts on Cleveland's behalf were credited with aiding Cleveland's narrow victory in the general election.

Secretary of the Treasury

After Cleveland won the presidency, Tilden advocated for Manning's appointment as Secretary of the Treasury. Cleveland concurred, and Manning served from March 8, 1885, until resigning because of ill health on March 31, 1887. A fiscal conservative and advocate of the

gold standard A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the l ...

, as was Cleveland, Manning worked to preserve the Treasury’s cash surplus and increase its gold reserve. In addition, Manning advocated for tariff reduction. As a cabinet secretary who enjoyed Cleveland's confidence, Manning provided advice to Cleveland on fiscal and economic policy. As a trusted political advisor, Manning also provided input to Cleveland on appointees and issues that were not within Treasury's usual purview.

Later life

Daniel Manning Secretary of the Treasury 1898 medal

After leaving the Treasury Department, Manning accepted appointment as president of the Western National Bank of New York. He died of

Brights disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied by ...

at his home in Albany on December 24, 1887. Manning's funeral took place at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Albany, and was attended by President Cleveland and all but one member of the cabinet. He was buried at

in Menands.

Personal life

In 1853, Manning married Mary Little, who died in 1882. They were the parents of four children: * James Hilton Manning (1854–1925), who was editor and manager of the ''Albany Argus'' and served as

mayor of Albany From its formal chartering on 22 July 1686 until 1779, the mayors of Albany, New York, were appointed by the royal governor of New York, per the provisions of the original city charter, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan. From 1779 until 1839, may ...

. * Frederick Clinton Manning (1859–1928), a prominent engraver of Albany. * Anastasia "Anna" Manning (1861–1933), who married John A. Delehanty. * Mary Elizabeth Manning (1867–1906), who married Jules C. Van der Oudermeulen. In 1884, Manning married Mary Margaretta Fryer (1844–1928).

Legacy

An engraved portrait of Manning appears on U.S. paper money, the series 1886 $20 silver certificate. These collectible notes are referred to as "Mannings" or "diamondbacks" due to their unusual reverse design, and because of their rarity they often sell for between $1,000 and $5,000. In 1898, engraver George T. Morgan created for the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

a commemorative medal depicting Manning. 160 medals were struck and offered for sale. Many are still in circulation, and sell for between $100 and $200 at auction. In 1898, the Treasury Department's

United States Revenue Cutter Service ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

commissioned two new ships named for previous Treasury secretaries, one of which was USRC ''Daniel Manning''. During her service, ''Manning'' performed patrol duty off

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and in the Bering Sea. ''Manning'' was assigned to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and took part in an engagement off

Cabañas, Cuba Cabañas is a village and ''consejo popular'' of the municipality of Mariel, in the Artemisa Province, on the northeast coast in western Cuba. History Prior to 1970 was a municipality of Pinar del Río Province. Cabañas bay is a harbor with ind ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, ''Manning'' was based at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and escorted trade convoys to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and conducted anti-submarine patrols in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. ''Manning'' was decommissioned and sold in 1930. In 1887, Manning received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. There is a memorial pillar to Manning at the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany. Albany's South Manning Boulevard, Manning Boulevard, and North Manning Boulevard, an extended street that is one of the city's main thoroughfares, was named for Manning.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Daniel 1831 births 1887 deaths 19th-century American politicians Deaths from kidney disease Businesspeople from Albany, New York United States Secretaries of the Treasury Cleveland administration cabinet members Politicians from Albany, New York Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery