James Manning (1704 - 1791)

James Manning was the first president of The College of Rhode Island, later named Brown University, and in 1771 accepted the pastorate of the First Baptist Church of Providence.

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On March 3, 1764 James Manning was granted a charter for a Baptist college with the name of the College of Rhode Island, later to become Brown University. In 1771 Manning accepted the pastorate of the First Baptist Church of Providence. During his ministry the Meeting House was erected. From 1776 to 1782 the school was closed and occupied by American and French troops as a Barracks and hospital. When the war was over, the College reopened, and Manning guided the College until his death in 1791. For more read J. Stanley Lemons, "The Browns and the Baptists," Rhode Island History 67 (Summer/Fall, 2009), 74-82; Also The First Baptist Church in America by J. Stanley Lemons.