William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the

National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...

and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award.

Early life

Manchester was born in

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Attleboro had a population ...

, and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father served in the U.S. Marine Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After his father's death, and the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ju ...

, William Manchester likewise enlisted in the Marine Corps. However, he was ordered back to college until called up. Initially Manchester joined the Officer Candidate School but was dropped before receiving a commission. After being warranted to the rank of corporal, he was sent to Guadalcanal in 1944 for further training. Although he had expected to serve in Europe, Manchester ultimately found himself in the Pacific Theater. He served in the Battle of Okinawa, was severely wounded on June 5, 1945, and was promoted to sergeant in July and awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

. Manchester's wartime experiences formed the basis for his very personal account of the Pacific Theater, '' Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War''. In this memoir, Manchester uses personal anecdotes from his service on Okinawa in his descriptions of battles on Guadalcanal,

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Saipan. Manchester's portrayal of his wartime service, his

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

in combat, and his injuries are literary devices. He stated this in the end notes, as well as clearly denying any attempt at a chronological account. Later examination of his personal papers, his wartime record, and his medical records prove that much of what he recounted was inaccurate. Manchester also wrote of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in several other books, including a three-part biography, ''The Last Lion'', of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

. Manchester also wrote a biography of General Douglas MacArthur, ''

American Caesar ''American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964'' is a 1978 biography of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur by American historian William Manchester. Manchester paints a sympathetic but balanced portrait of MacArthur, praising the general ...

''. Manchester worked as a copyboy for the ''

Daily Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th large ...

'' in 1945 before returning to college. In 1946, he completed his B.A. from the Massachusetts State College, and in 1947 he earned his master's degree from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

. Manchester married Julia Brown Marshall on March 27, 1948, known as Judy, and they had one son, music composer John and two daughters, Julie, and Laurie.

Reporter and professor

In 1947, Manchester went to work as a reporter for ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

''. There he met journalist

H. L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...

, who became his friend and mentor, and also became the subject of Manchester's master's thesis and first book, ''Disturber of the Peace''. The biography, published in 1951, profiles Mencken, the self-described "conservative anarchist" who made his mark as a writer, editor, and political pundit in the 1920s. In 1953, Manchester published his novel ''The City of Anger'', set in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and dealing with inner city life and the

numbers racket The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a b ...

, subjects Manchester had learned about as a big city reporter. In 1955, Manchester became an editor for

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

and the

Wesleyan University Press Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist. History and overview Founded (in its present form ...

and spent the rest of his career at the university. For the academic year 1959–1960, he was a Fellow on the faculty at the Center for Advanced Studies of Wesleyan. He later became an adjunct professor of history, adjunct professor emeritus, and writer-in-residence at the university. During his association with Wesleyan University, Manchester developed an intense writing regimen that he adhered to for much of his life, often writing nonstop for up to 50 hours at a time. He described the experience as follows: "I would work all day, all night, all the next day, all the following night and into the third day. I would look up at the clock, and it would be 3:30 in the afternoon, and I would say, 'Oh boy, I've got three more hours to write.' I just loved it."

JFK assassination

His best-selling book, ''

The Death of a President ''The Death of a President: November 20–November 25, 1963'' is historian William Manchester's 1967 account of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. The book gained public attention before it was published when Kennedy' ...

'' (1967), is a detailed account of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy, who had been the subject of an earlier book by Manchester. In 1964, Manchester was commissioned by the Kennedy family to write the book. Manchester, who retraced the movements of President Kennedy and

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

before the assassination, tentatively concluded, based on his study of Oswald's psychology and their similar training as Marine sharpshooters, that Oswald had acted alone. Manchester had the support of

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and Jacqueline Kennedy, but later had a falling-out with Robert over Manchester's treatment of President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. Before the book could be published, Jacqueline Kennedy filed a lawsuit to prevent its publication, even though she had previously authorized it. The suit was settled in 1967, reportedly with Manchester's agreeing to drop certain passages dealing with details of Kennedy's family life. In response

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Under Contemporary, 1930-196 ...

Paul Krassner Paul Krassner (April 9, 1932 – July 21, 2019) was an American author, journalist, and comedian. He was the founder, editor, and a frequent contributor to the freethought magazine ''The Realist'', first published in 1958. Krassner became a key ...

published a piece entitled "

The Parts That Were Left Out of the Kennedy Book ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

", which imagined scandalous censored material. In his collection of essays ''Controversy'' (1977), Manchester detailed Kennedy's attempts to suppress the book. The book was a best-seller at release, but was allowed to go out of print until 1988. It was re-issued in October 2013.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

.
Controversial JFK book to be reissued in October
''Yahoo! Finance'', September 17, 2013.

Later life

Following the death of his wife in 1998, Manchester suffered two strokes. Manchester told his publishers that he would not be able to complete the planned third volume of his three part-biography of Churchill, '' The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965''. Manchester was initially reluctant to collaborate with anyone to finish the work, but in October 2003, he asked Paul Reid, a friend and writer for ''

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and ''The Palm Beach Daily News'' ...

'', to complete the Churchill biography. After Manchester's death, Reid completed the third volume using Manchester's notes and writing. In 2001, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

presented Manchester with the

. In an interview conducted with a writer who was preparing capsule biographies of NEH medal recipients, Manchester claimed that he had been valedictorian of his class at the University of Massachusetts and that he had received the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts; according to conservative intellectual review "The American Spectator", none of this was true. Manchester was also the recipient of the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award, among other awards. Manchester died at the age of 82 on June 1, 2004, and is interred at

Indian Hill Cemetery Indian Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 383 Washington Street in Middletown, Connecticut on a hill adjacent to Wesleyan University. History The hill was originally named "''Wunne Wah Jet''" by the indigenous Wangunk people ...

in Middletown, Connecticut.

Bibliography

* '' Disturber of the Peace: The Life of H.L. Mencken'' (1951) * '' The City of Anger'', a novel. (1953) * '' Shadow of the Monsoon'' (1956) * '' A Rockefeller Family Portrait'', from John D. to Nelson (1959) * ''

Beard the Lion (Cairo Intrigue) A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

'', a novel (1959) * '' The Long Gainer'', a novel (1961) * '' Portrait of a President'', John F. Kennedy in profile (1962, 1967) * ''

: November 20–25'' (1967) * ''

The Arms of Krupp ''The Arms of Krupp'' (1968) is William Manchester's history of the Krupp family, which owned a dominant armaments manufacturing company based in Essen, Germany. Synopsis The book presents readable and often humorous descriptions of the Krupp f ...

: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War'' (1968) * '' The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932–1972'' (1974) * '' Controversy and other essays in journalism'' (1976) * ''

: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964'' (1978) * '' On Mencken'', essays (1980) * '' Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War'' (1980) * ''One Brief Shining Moment: Remembering Kennedy'' (1983) * '' The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874–1932'' (1983) * ''" Okinawa: The Bloodiest..."'', an essay. (1987) * '' The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone 1932–1940'' (1988) * ''In Our Time: The World as Seen by Magnum Photographers.'' New York; London:

W W Norton & Co Inc W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton An ...

, 1989. . With essays by Manchester ("Images: a Wide Angle"),

Jean Lacouture Jean Lacouture (9 June 1921 – 16 July 2015) was a journalist, historian and author. He was particularly famous for his biographies. Career Jean Lacouture was born in Bordeaux, France. He began his career in journalism in 1950 in ''Combat'' ...

("The Founders") and Fred Ritchin ("What is Magnum?"), and "Biographical Notes and Selected Bibliographies" and "Bibliography and Chronology of Magnum" by Stuart Alexander. * '' A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance—Portrait of an Age'' (1992) * ''Magellan'' (1994) * '' No End Save Victory'' (2001) * '' Goodbye Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War'' (2002) * '' The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940–1965'' (2012) (with co-author Paul Reid)

Notes

External links

*
Family photo archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manchester, William 1922 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American memoirists American military writers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American newspaper reporters and correspondents Burials at Indian Hill Cemetery Historians of the United States National Humanities Medal recipients Writers from Springfield, Massachusetts Researchers of the assassination of John F. Kennedy The Baltimore Sun people United States Marines University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni University of Missouri alumni Wesleyan University faculty 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 20th-century American male writers