Charles E. Manierre

Charles E. Manierre was a lawyer who lived and worked in Manhattan, New York County, N.Y.

He was the Prohibition Party’s candidate for governor of the state of New York in 1926.

The party's greatest success had been in 1919, with the passage of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlawed the production, sale, transportation, import and export of alcohol. The era during which alcohol was illegal in the United States is generally known as "Prohibition."

Prohibitionist Sidney J. Catts was elected Governor of Florida in 1916, but no Prohibition candidate was elected governor of any state ever again. It was further unlucky for Charles' 1926 run for governor of NY that he was opposing a popular incumbent in Democrat Alfred E. Smith.

The results of the New York gubernatorial election of 1926

Candidate, Party, Popular Vote

Alfred E. Smith, Democratic, 1,523,813 (52.13%)

Ogden L. Mills, Republican, 1,276,137 (43.80%)

Jacob Panken, Socialist, 83,481 (2.87%)

Charles E. Manierre, Prohibition, 21,285 (0.73%)

Benjamin Gitlow, Workers, 5,507 (0.19%)

Jeremiah D. Crowley, Socialist Labor, 3,553 (0.12%)

Alfred E. Smith was the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 1928. Smith was defeated by Herbert Hoover. Smith got 41% of the popular vote against Hoover's 58%. The electoral vote was 444 to 87.

During the Prohibition era, the Prohibition Party pressed for stricter enforcement of the prohibition laws. In 1928, for example, the party considered endorsing Republican Herbert Hoover rather than running their own candidate. However, by a 4-3 vote, the party's national executive committee voted to nominate their own candidate, William F. Varney, instead. They did this because they felt Hoover's stance on prohibition wasn't strict enough. The party became even more critical of President Hoover after he was elected. By 1932, party chairman David Leigh Colvin thundered that "The Republican wet plank [i.e. supporting the repeal of Prohibition] means that Mr. Hoover is the most conspicuous turncoat since Benedict Arnold." Hoover lost, but national prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.

Charles E. Manierre was the dry candidate for delegate to New York convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933. He was not elected, but what would he have done if he had been?

The party has faded into obscurity since World War II.

Charles E. Manierre died in 1940, at 80 years old.

See Charles E. Manierre's obituary in The New York Times, January 31, 1940. A photo of him posted here originally appeared in this obituary.

Don't confuse this Charles E. Manierre with Charles E. Manierre, M.D., born 1860, Chicago, son of Edward Manierre.

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An article, "Problems in Nautical Astronomy" by Charles E. Manierre appeared in Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute Volume 47, no.7, yr.1921 Publisher: United States Naval Institute

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