Joseph C. (Joseph Columbus) Manning

Born in Lineville, Alabama, on May 21, 1870, Joseph Columbus Manning became known as a journalist, reformer, and political organizer. He graduated from Florence Normal School and, after early work as a book salesman, threw himself into public life during the turbulent Populist era.

Manning played a major role in Alabama politics in the 1890s, helping found the state People's Party and using his journalism to attack entrenched Democratic power. He is especially remembered for The Politics of Alabama, a firsthand account of the bitter 1892 Kolb-Jones gubernatorial struggle and the broader political battles of the period.

In later years, Manning remained active as a writer and public advocate, aligning with Republican politics and campaigning for the civil rights of disfranchised African Americans. He died in 1930, but his work still offers a vivid window into Southern reform movements, race, and political conflict at the turn of the twentieth century.