Mary Fryer Manning

Mary Margaretta Fryer Manning (1844–1928) was an American social leader with wide experience in business, social, and philanthropic areas. During the years that her husband, Daniel Manning, held the portfolio of the United States Secretary of the Treasury, their home in Washington, D.C. became a center of social and political affairs in Washington. After widowhood in 1887, she spent part of each year in the city. Her patriotism was shown in her work for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Mohawk Chapter of Albany, New York, of which she was regent. Sent by President William McKinley to Paris in 1900, he appointed her commissioner to the Exposition Universelle and to represent the U.S. and the DAR at the unveiling of the statue of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (July 4, 1900). The previous day, she assisted in unveiling the statue of George Washington, a gift of the women of the U.S. to France. Among her many roles, Manning served as President-General of the DAR for two terms.