Henry Edward Manning was born on 18 December 1877 in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Sir William Patrick Manning, a prominent financier and future Member of Parliament and Mayor of Sydney, and his wife Honora Torphy. In 1904 Manning married Nora Antonia Martin, the youngest daughter of Sir James Martin, and they would have two daughters.
Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Bachelor) in 1900 and a Bachelor of Laws (Bachelor of Laws) in 1902, Manning was called to the Bar in 1902.
Initially educated at Saint Ignatius" College, Riverview, Manning went on to study at the University of Sydney. From 1905 Manning returned to practice at the New South Wales Bar, where he established a reputation in common law and the Vice Admiralty Court of New South Wales. Manning was appointed a King"s Counsel (KC) in 1927 and was appointed as a deputy Judge of the Land and Valuation Court in 1929.
Despite this, Manning was nominated, and subsequently appointed for a life term, by Premier Bertram Stevens to the Legislative Council of New South Wales and then joined Stevens" second ministry as Attorney General and, by virtue of his now leadership of the government members in the Legislative Council, Vice-President of the Executive Council, on 17 June 1932.
Manning, who had been interested in reforming of the council towards being a non-partisan House of review, involved himself in drafting a proposal, with support from Stevens, for an Upper House of sixty members, elected to a statewide electorate by a joint session of Parliament. His proposal, informed by the significant criticism of the elitist nature of the current Council, especially from the Australian Labor Party, was subsequently adopted by parliament and approved at a statewide referendum in 1933.
Consequently, Manning, whose life appointment was now void, was elected to the new council for a six-year term on 7 November 1933, and retained his cabinet positions until government"s defeat at the 1941 election. In opposition, Manning was unofficially regarded as the leader of the non-Labor members but, affirmed of his beliefs regarding a non-partisan council, refused the role when offered to him.
Elected to a second six-year term on 14 March 1946, he retired from the council in April 1958 and was granted the title "The Honourable" for life.
Manning was chairman of MLC Limited from 1945 to 1961.
Manning first attempted to enter NSW politics when he stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal Reform Party candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Phillip at the 1910 election, the seat of King at the 1913 election, and again as the United Australia Party candidate in King at the 1932 election. On 2 January 1939 he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire) "In recognition of service to politics and government" From 1934 to 1948 he was a fellow of the Senate of the University of Sydney. He further opposed in 1950 a proposal that the Liberal Party should form a party in the council, though his ideas for a non-partisan council came under attack from the Liberals and a Labor Party reanimating its longstanding policy to abolish the upper house.
He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for 25 years from 1932 to 1958 and also served as the Attorney General and Vice-President of the Executive Council from 1932 to 1941.
