Thomas J. Manton
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Manton was a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 congressman. He represented the 7th Congressional District of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Life and career

Thomas J. Manton was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and of Irish ancestry. 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
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

.

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
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

. 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
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 representing parts of the boroughs of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

 and Bronx from 1985 to 1999. He was elected to the seat opened by Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro was an American attorney, a Democratic Party politician, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. She was the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party....

 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 retired from the Congress in 1998. He was succeeded by Joseph Crowley
Joseph Crowley
Joseph Crowley is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is the Chairman of the New Democrat Coalition and the Queens County Democratic Party. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

, his chosen candidate for the position. He continued to serve as the Party Chairman to the date of his death.

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
Woodside, Queens
Woodside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...

, later moving to Sunnyside, and finally to Astoria.

Thomas Manton died on July 22, 2006, following a battle with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...

.
  • Thomas J. Manton Post Office in Woodside, New York was named in his honor after his death.

External links

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