John Manning, Jr.

Who was John Manning, Jr.?

John Manning, Jr. was a North Carolina politician who briefly served in the United States House of Representatives in 1870 and 1871.

Manning was born in Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina on July 30, 1830. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1850; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1853 and commenced practice in Pittsboro.

Manning was a delegate to the state convention in 1861 which seceded from the union, and then served in the North Carolina Volunteers throughout the American Civil War. He was elected over Joseph W. Holden on November 26, 1870 as a Democrat to the Forty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John T. Deweese. The November special election was actually the second special election for the Fourth Congressional District seat that year; Robert B. Gilliam had been elected to fill the seat in a special election in August 1870 but had died shortly thereafter, before taking his seat. Meanwhile, Sion Hart Rogers had been elected to the 42nd Congress from the Fourth District, also in August. Manning served only the few remaining months of the 41st Congress, from December 7, 1870, to March 3, 1871.