John T. McManus

Who was John T. McManus?

John Thomas McManus was an American journalist active in progressive politics in the 1950s and 1960s best known as co-founder of the National Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper.

Born in New York City, McManus worked from 1921 to 1937 for The New York Times as a copy boy, police reporter, writer on bridge, and movie reviewer, except for a few years when he left to obtain a B.A. from Marietta College in Ohio. In 1937 he resigned from the Times to join the staff of Time magazine as radio critic, a position that he in turn resigned to join the staff of PM, a left-of-center New York City daily.

In the postwar period, McManus was actively involved in electoral politics. In 1948, he served on the national committee of the Progressive Party in support of the presidential candidacy of former vice-president Henry A. Wallace. In 1950 and 1954, McManus ran for Governor of New York on the American Labor Party ticket. In 1958, he ran again for Governor of New York, this time on the Independent-Socialist ticket.

In 1949, McManus co-founded the National Guardian, a progressive newspaper, with fellow former Times writer James Aronson.