A podcaster interviewing Christopher Manion about his book referred to him as “the perfect person” to write it, given his doctorate in government, his deep involvement in Catholic matters, his multigenerational connections to the University of Notre Dame, his stints as a professor at Catholic colleges, his decade-long column for The Wanderer (the oldest Catholic newspaper in the United States), and his groundbreaking research and penetrating analysis.
Today’s Manions are beneficiaries of a proud and noteworthy lineage. Chris and his siblings are the children of Clarence E. Manion (1896–1979), a professor and dean of Notre Dame Law School for nearly 30 years and the host and intellectual wellspring of Manion Forum, which older readers may remember. It was a popular radio program during the 1950s and 1960s. Beaming to about 100 radio stations (and later on television), Clarence Manion touted principled constitutional domestic policies, matched with firm anti-communism rhetoric, both in his commentary and his challenging interviews of guests.
