Henry M. Sage


Henry Manning Sage was an American politician from New York.

Early life

Henry Manning Sage was born in Albany, New York on May 18, 1868. He was the son of Dean Sage and Sarah Augusta Sage and the grandson of Henry W. Sage.
He attended The Albany Academy, and graduated from Yale College in 1890. His sister, Susan Linn Sage married James Fenimore Cooper, grandson of prolific author James Fenimore Cooper. Susan and James were the parents of Paul Fenimore Cooper, an author and Henry's nephew.

Career

After graduation from Yale, he began working in the lumber business, like his father and grandfather, eventually becoming president of Sage Land and Development Company, as well as a director of several banks and insurance companies in Albany. The family later donated the funds to build Sage Hall at Yale, at the time, the largest forestry school on the continent.
Sage was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly in 122nd New York State Legislature, serving from January 1 until December 31, 1899.
Later from January 1, 1911 until December 31, 1920, Sage was a member of the New York State Senate, sitting in the 134th, 135th, 136th, 137th, 138th, 139th, 140th, 141st, 142nd and 143rd New York State Legislatures. While in the State Senate, he served as Chairman of the Finance Committee from 1914 to 1920.
Afterwards he was Chairman of the State Hospital Development Commission. He was a delegate to the 1916, 1920 and 1924 Republican National Conventions.
In 1932, he wrote to The New York Times about New York's finances and warning against increasing taxes.

Personal life

On October 29, 1895, he married Anna Wheeler Ward. Anna was the daughter of Dr. Samuel Baldwin Ward, an Albany surgeon. Together, they were the parents of two daughters:
Henry and Anna Sage were divorced in 1908. On May 11, 1911, he married Cornelia McClure Cogswell. She was the daughter of Ledyard and Cornelia Cogswell. Together, they were the parents of two more children:
He died on September 25, 1933, at his home "Fernbrook" in Menands, New York, of a heart attack after having been ill for several years. He was buried at the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands.

Board of Trustees

In March 1900, he was elected a trustee of Cornell University, to fill the seat which had been vacant since the death of his grandfather Henry W. Sage who had been Chairman of the Board of Trustees for more than 20 years. Henry M. Sage and his uncle William H. Sage resigned from the Board of Trustees in protest against the burial of Willard Fiske in the Sage Chapel.