John Thomas McManus (1905 - 1961) was an American journalist and well-known name in progressive politics in the 1950s and 1960s. He cofounded the National Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper. McManus worked for The New York Times from 1921 to 1937. He wrote many movie reviews. In 1949, he co-founded the National Guardian with James Aronson, a fellow former Times employee. In 1950 and 1954, McManus ran for governor of New York on the American Labor Party ticket. In November 1955, McManus and Aronson were among 26 former and current New York Times employees to be subpoenaed by the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. The subcommittee was investigating communist infiltration in the American media and based its subpoenas on the testimony of one Winston Burdett, a famous CBS war correspondent. The testimony, originally slated for November, with the subpoenas, was postponed until January 1956. When McManus testified, he took the Fifth Amendment protections to avoid admitting any knowledge of communist activities. In 1958, he ran again for Governor of New York, this time on the Independent-Socialist ticket. His wife, journalist Jane Mc Manus (ca 1920 - 2005), whom he met working at the National Guardian in the 1950s, moved in 1969 to Cuba. There she lived with her third husband William Lee Brent, whom she met and married on the island, until her death.
References
- Revolution is a moment: UC Berkeley
- Time Magazine article, Jan. 16, 1956.
- [1] death date given
External links
- Review of Dead End By John T. McManus: Aug. 25, 1937
- The Life of Emile Zola By John T. McManus: Aug. 15, 1937
