Henry S. Manley (1892–1967)

About the Book

THIS BOOK MAKES CLEAR HENRY S. MANLEY’S STATURE AS A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE REGARDING NEW YORK STATE AND, MORE BROADLY, UNITED STATES, LEGAL AND NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY AND SCHOLARSHIP.

Henry S. Manley made legal history, was a skilled chronicler of history, and lived a life that reflected many facets of his far-ranging interests and capabilities. In Henry S. Manley (1892 – 1967) His Life and Writings: Early Pilot, Constitutional Lawyer, Innovative Farmer and Native American History Specialist the editors, HSM’s direct descendants, present a substantial portion of his published and unpublished works in the fields of law, history, aviation, farming and genealogy replete with photographs and the editors’ own explanatory notes.

A highlight of this book is a complete reprint of HSM’s seminal and long out-of-print 1932 book The Treaty of Fort Stanwix, 1784 as well as several of his articles on Native American history. Here, too, are some of his equally important legal articles, including “Nebbia Plus Fifteen”, about the strategy he employed in successfully arguing the landmark Nebbia v New York case before the U.S. Supreme Court (decision handed down March 1934); and his wry and much admired “Mr. Justice Per Curiam”, originally appearing under the title “Nonpareil Among Judges”.

Published for the first time, are HSM’s evocative, and in one instance, somewhat harrowing, accounts of his experiences as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot-trainee and, later, an instructor of pilots in Texas and Illinois during World War I. Available to the general public for the first time is his well-researched and sometimes humorous Manley Family, New England and New York, 1650-1950.

Included in the book is the 1926 correspondence between Benjamin N. Cardozo, one of America’s greatest judges, and HSM in which the former stated, “I have found your briefs very helpful and suggestive. You say things in an original way. A mind has been at work, and not a hand with scissors and paste pot.” Readers are likely to agree with the cogency of that statement when they delve into HSM’s writing.

About the Author

Henry S. Manley’s daughter, Joyce Manley Forney, earned her B.S. degree from Cornell University. After rearing six children and directing a Women’s Center in Denver, Colorado, she and her husband Ross were a notable team, active in water and human resource issues in Sedona, Arizona. Joyce also served two terms as president of the League of Women Voters of Arizona; today she lives in Dallas, Texas, where she edits a community newsletter. Her email address is jmforney@sbcglobal.net.

Robert H. Manley, the younger son of Henry S. Manley (the elder son, Douglas, an outstanding lawyer and activist, died in 2005), combines backgrounds in law and political science. He was educated at Colgate, Cornell and Harvard Universities and at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany/SUNY. He was a founder of the Center for Public Service and the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, both at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. His email address is manleyrobm@aol.com.

Kathy Manley, daughter of Douglas and granddaughter of Henry S. Manley, is a lawyer specializing in criminal defense. She studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University at Albany/SUNY, and Albany Law School. An associate with the Kindlon Shanks and Associates law firm in Albany, New York, she has been active for many years in efforts for social change. Her email address is mkathy1@hotmail.com.