Thomas Manton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Geraldine Ferraro |
| Succeeded by | Joe Crowley |
| Constituency | 9th district (1985–1993) 7th district (1993–1999) |
| Member of theNew York City Council | |
| In office 1970–1984 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 3, 1932 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 2006(2006-07-22) (aged 73) The Bronx,New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | St. John's University |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
Thomas J. Manton (November 3, 1932 – July 22, 2006) was an American politician who represented the 9th and 7th Congressional District ofNew York in theUnited States House of Representatives.
Born inNew York City, Manton was of Irish descent. He attended private Catholic schools and served in theUnited States Marine Corps during theKorean War from 1951 to 1953. Thereafter, he matriculated atSt. John's University, where he earned aBBA degree in 1958 and anLL.B. degree in 1962.
Prior to entering politics, Manton was an officer of theNew York City Police Department from 1955 to 1960[1] and served as amarketing representative forIBM from 1960 to 1964. After passing the New York bar exam in 1963, Manton worked as a solo practitioner from 1964 to 1984. He was elected to theNew York City Council in 1970, also serving until 1984.
Manton ran in the Democratic primary for what was then a part ofNew York's 9th congressional district in northernQueens in 1978, following the retirement of 30-year incumbentJames J. Delaney. However, he lost to assistant Queens County district attorneyGeraldine Ferraro. Manton also ran against Delaney in 1972 and lost.[2]
When Ferarro gave up her seat to joinWalter Mondale'spresidential ticket, Manton entered the Democratic primary for the seat. In a hotly-contested primary, he defeated Clifford Wilson, Walter Crowley and Gloria D'Amico before narrowly defeating RepublicanSerphin Maltese in the general election with 52 percent of the vote. He was re-elected six more times.
Manton was elected chairman of the Democratic Organization of Queens County in 1986, succeedingJohn Sabini who had served as the interim chairman following the suicide ofDonald Manes.
Tom Manton was the first major party chairman in the nation to endorseBill Clinton for during the1992 United States presidential election. As the co-chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs in the House, he was instrumental in obtaining a visa forGerry Adams to travel to the United States.[citation needed] As a member of Congress, Manton served as a member of theUnited States House Committee on Energy and Commerce and was a subcommittee chairman of theHouse Government Operations Committee that supervised theUnited States Capitol Police.
His last vote in the House was to vote against theimpeachment of President Bill Clinton.
Manton 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 AssemblymanJoseph 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 held the seat until losing in the 2018 Democratic primary toAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[3]
Manton continued to serve as the Queens County Democratic Party chairman until his death. After leaving office, he joined the law firm of Manton, Sweeney, Gallo, Reich & Bolz in 1999.
After leaving Congress, he lived in the Queens neighborhoods ofWoodside, later moving to Sunnyside, and finally toAstoria.
Thomas Manton died on July 22, 2006, following a battle withprostate cancer.[4]
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 inQueens,New York City was renamed Thomas J. Manton Boulevard.[5]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Berman | New York City Council, 12th District 1970–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by William C. Thompson Sr. | New York City Council, 21st District 1974–1985 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 9th congressional district 1985–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 7th congressional district 1993–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Queens County Democratic Organization 1986–2006 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
