Alexander Henderson Manning (11 May 1819 – 20 October 1903) was a Canadian contractor, businessman, and the 20th Mayor of Toronto, serving a single term in 1873 and a second in 1885.

In his later life, Manning was an investor in the Grand Opera House, funded the construction of Toronto's Old City Hall, and was a director of several companies.

In the 1860s he demanded overtime payments for constructing roads in Grey County, an act that was used to politically attack Manning for being greedy with obtaining public funds.

[1] Manning returned to the Toronto City Council as an alderman for St. Lawrence Ward in 1867, and would be reelected every year until 1873.

During his time in office, he advocated for a commissioner to be in charge of public projects and the city formed a technique to assess and collect taxes.

Manning ran as an independent candidate and focused on his prior experience as mayor and promised financial restraint and clean water within the city.

[4] Manning called for the creation of the Toronto Volunteers Reception Committee to prepare events for the return of troops from the North-West Rebellion.

He also formed a committee to construct a monument commemorating the men who participated in fighting for the government in the rebellion.

[5] At first, Manning believed that he would be unchallenged in his reelection as mayor, but a growing civic reform movement organised and produced a candidate named William Holmes Howland.

[4] Howard, an advocate for the temperance movement, emphasised Manning's presidency of the Toronto Brewing and Malting Company.

In 1884 he hired E. J. Lennox to design a large office block called Manning Arcade, and also funded the construction of Old City Hall in Toronto.