Thomas Manton (politician)

Thomas J. Manton
Born	(1932-11-03) 3 November 1932 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	22 July 2006(2006-07-22) (aged 73)
Occupation(s)	Politician, lawyer
Years active	1970–1999
Known for	U.S. Representative for New York's 9th and 7th Congressional Districts

Thomas J. Manton (November 3, 1932 – July 22, 2006) was a U.S. politician who served as the representative for New York's 9th and later 7th Congressional Districts in the United States House of Representatives.

Early life and education

Manton, born in New York City with Irish heritage, attended Catholic private schools and was a member of the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. He obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1958 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1962, both from St. John's University.

Early career

Prior to entering politics, Manton worked as an officer for the New York City Police Department between 1955 and 1960 and subsequently as a marketing representative for IBM from 1960 to 1964. After passing the New York State bar exam in 1963, he practiced law independently from 1964 until 1984. His political career included serving on the New York City Council from 1970 through 1984.

Manton sought the Democratic nomination for New York's 9th congressional district in 1978 following the retirement of long-serving incumbent James J. Delaney, but was defeated by Queens County assistant district attorney Geraldine Ferraro. He had also unsuccessfully challenged Delaney in the 1972 primary.

U.S. House of Representatives

Following Ferraro's selection as the vice presidential candidate alongside Walter Mondale in the 1984 election, Manton contested the Democratic primary for her vacated seat. He emerged victorious in a competitive race against Clifford Wilson, Walter Crowley, and Gloria D'Amico, then narrowly won the general election over Republican Serphin Maltese with approximately 52% of the vote. He secured re-election six times thereafter.

In 1986, Manton succeeded John Sabini as chairman of the Democratic Organization of Queens County; Sabini had taken over after the death of former leader Donald Manes.

Manton was notably the first prominent party leader to back Bill Clinton during the 1992 United States presidential election. As co-chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, he played a key role in facilitating a visa for Gerry Adams to enter the United States. During his tenure in Congress, he served on the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce and chaired a subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform responsible for oversight of the United States Capitol Police. His final recorded vote was against the impeachment proceedings targeting President Bill Clinton.

Retirement

Although initially filing for re-election in 1998, Manton withdrew his candidacy at the last permissible moment under election law, allowing State Assemblyman Joseph Crowley to replace him on the ballot. Crowley won that election and maintained the seat until his defeat in the 2018 Democratic primary by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Until his passing, Manton continued as chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party and joined the law practice Manton, Sweeney, Gallo, Reich & Bolz in 1999.

Personal life

Following his congressional career, Manton resided in various neighborhoods within Queens including Woodside, Sunnyside, and ultimately Astoria.

He passed away on July 22, 2006, due to prostate cancer.

In recognition of his service, both the Thomas J. Manton Post Office located in Woodside and a twenty-block portion of Queens Boulevard bear his name.

References

• "Thomas Manton, former New York congressman, passes away", Newsday, July 23, 2006
• "Thomas J. Manton, Former Congressman, Dies at 73", by Sewell Chan, July 23, 2006, New York Times
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress