John Thomas McManus (1904 – November 1961) was an American journalist active in progressive politics in the 1950s and 1960s best known as co-founder of the National Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper.
[citation needed] In 1927, McManus started to work for The New York Times as a copy boy, police reporter, writer on bridge, and movie reviewer.
In 1948, he served on the national committee of the Progressive Party in support of the presidential candidacy of former vice-president Henry A. Wallace.
[citation needed] In 1949, McManus co-founded the National Guardian, a progressive newspaper, with fellow former Times writer James Aronson.
[citation needed] In November 1955, McManus and Aronson were among 26 former and current New York Times employees subpoenaed by the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.
His wife moved in 1969 to Cuba to live with her third husband William Lee Brent, whom she met and married on the island, until her death.