Van H. Manning (engineer)
Van H. Manning | |
---|---|
2nd Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines | |
In office 1915–1920 | |
Preceded by | Joseph Austin Holmes |
Succeeded by | Frederick Gardner Cottrell |
Personal details | |
Born | 1861 Horn Lake, Mississippi, U.S. |
Died | July 13, 1932 Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 70–71)
Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Spouse(s) | Emily S. Stevens (m. 1898) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) |
|
Relatives | Levi Manning (brother) |
Alma mater | University of Mississippi |
Van H. Manning (1861 – July 13, 1932) was the 2nd director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and was instrumental in developing chemical warfare defense technologies during World War I.
Early life[]
Van H. Manning was born in Horn Lake, Mississippi to Van H. Manning, a Mississippi congressman, in 1861.[1][2] He graduated from the University of Mississippi with an engineering degree in 1881.[1][2]
Career[]
In 1886, Manning joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a civil engineer. He worked there until 1910. He then worked at the U.S. Bureau of Mines; starting as the assistant director. He became director in 1915 and served in that role until he resigned in May 1920.[1][2]
Manning worked with the War Department starting in 1917 to perform experiments with helium to reduce its price by large margins and save the military millions of dollars.[1] Under his purview, the Bureau started the War Gas Investigations Branch to research toxic gas as an instrument of war and to develop a chemical warfare defense.[3][4] He established chemical laboratories at American University, which would later be used by the Chemical Warfare Service in World War I.[2][4] Manning argued that chemical production and research should remain under civilian control and not military, but President Wilson transferred 1,700 American chemists to the Chemical Warfare Service in June 1918.[4]
Manning then became the director of research for the American Petroleum Institute in 1920. He held that role until 1924 when he became a consulting engineer for the Bureau of Mines.[1]
Personal life[]
Manning married Emily S. Stephens in 1898. Together, they had two sons: Van H. Manning Jr. and Oscar Stevens Manning.[1][2]
Awards[]
Manning was given an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by the University of Pittsburgh in 1919.[1]
Death[]
Manning died on July 13, 1932 at his home in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[1][2]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Van H. Manning Sr., Engineer, Dies at 70". New York Times. July 14, 1932. Retrieved October 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Manning Funeral Set at Oak Hill". July 15, 1932. p. A9. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Spelce, David; Rehak, Timothy R.; Metzler, Richard W.; Johnson, James S. (2017). "Pre-World War I Firefighter Respirators and the U.S. Bureau of Mines Involvement in WWI". Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection. 34 (2): 128–135. PMC 7278273. PMID 32514225.
- ^ a b c Gross, Daniel A. (Spring 2015). "Chemical Warfare: From the European Battlefield to the American Laboratory". Distillations. 1 (1): 16–23. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Van H. Manning. |
- 1861 births
- 1932 deaths
- People from DeSoto County, Mississippi
- University of Mississippi alumni
- United States Geological Survey personnel
- United States Bureau of Mines personnel
- American Petroleum Institute
- 19th-century American engineers
- 20th-century American engineers
- American engineer stubs