Helen Taft Manning

Helen Herron Taft Manning (August 1, 1891 – February 21, 1987) was an American historian and academic administrator. She served as dean and acting president of Bryn Mawr College. Manning was the daughter of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States, and his wife Helen Herron Taft.

Born in 1891, Helen Taft was the middle child and only daughter in her family. She completed her early education at The Baldwin School, graduating in 1908. Following her high school education, she received a scholarship to Bryn Mawr College, where her studies commenced in 1908 during her father's presidential campaign and subsequent tenure in the White House.

During her college years, Manning faced personal challenges when her mother suffered a stroke, which resulted in her being left an invalid. She moved into the White House with her family, assisting her mother in regaining movement and speech, and fulfilled the role of official hostess during her mother's disability. In December 1910, she was presented at a White House debutante party. After her mother's recovery, Manning resumed and completed her studies at Bryn Mawr, earning a bachelor's degree in history in 1915.

Manning was actively involved in the women's suffrage movement, traveling across the United States to deliver speeches advocating for women's voting rights and broader gender equality. On July 15, 1920, she married Frederick Johnson Manning, a Yale University history professor. Frederick Manning later moved to Swarthmore College. The couple had two daughters, Helen Taft Manning Hunter (1921–2013) and Caroline Manning Cunningham (1925–2020), both of whom pursued careers in teaching.

In 1917, at the age of 26, Manning became dean of Bryn Mawr College, demonstrating a significant academic leadership role early in her career. She also served as acting president of the college in 1919. She furthered her education at Yale University, earning a doctorate in history with research focused on North American history during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1925, she returned to Bryn Mawr as dean and a professor of history, a position she held until 1941. She was also head of the history department and was honored by her students, with the Class of 1929 dedicating their yearbook to her.

Manning continued her teaching career until her retirement in 1957, remaining active in research and publications thereafter. Her scholarly work includes publications on topics such as British colonial government after the American Revolution, the revolt of French Canada, and E.G. Wakefield and the Beauharnois Canal. Her personal and professional papers, including correspondence and her husband's work, are stored at Bryn Mawr College.

Helen Taft Manning passed away in 1987 at the age of 95 due to pneumonia at a nursing home in Philadelphia. She was interred at Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She was the last surviving child of William Howard Taft, with her siblings having died in 1953 and 1983.