Pioneering City Manager. When he, a civil engineer, became “general manager” for Staunton, Virginia, he became the first city manager in the first city with a fully defined city manager system. He served as city manager of Staunton from 1908 to 1911, Springfield, Ohio in 1914, Norfolk, Virginia in 1918; and Stockton, California in 1923. He founded the International City Managers’ Association in 1914.  Family links:  Spouse:  Cora Hobson Ashburner (1869 – 1957)* *Calculated relationship