Author, Historian. A Professor Emeritus of Wesleyan University, and Doctor of Letters, he is best remembered for his detailed historical books on President John F. Kennedy. He wrote 18 books that have been translated into 20 languages. The son of a United States Marine who served in World War I, he also joined the Marine Corps in World War II, rising to the rank of Sergeant and serving in the Pacific Theater at Okinawa, where he was wounded twice. He and John F. Kennedy became friends in 1946, while both were recovering from war wounds, and Manchester became a confidant and companion to Kennedy, and a frequent visitor to his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts. Initially a reporter for the Daily "Oklahoman" and the Baltimore "Sun" newspapers, he wrote his first book, "Disturber of the Peace; the Life of H. L. Mencken" in 1951, and other books soon followed. In 1955, he left journalism and joined Wesleyan University. However, it was his book, "Portrait of a President," (1962) that brought him into public prominence. Following the assassination of Kennedy, the Kennedy family authorized Manchester to write a book about the events around the assassination, but Manchester subsequently found himself embroiled in a public dispute with the family over the control of the content of the book, published as "The Death of a President" in 1967. He later wrote about the dispute in "Controversy," a book of essays. In 1983, he wrote "One Brief Shining Moment" a positive look back at the Kennedy years in politics and in the White House. Other books written by Manchester include "The Arms of Krupp" (1968), about the German weapons maker family, and "American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur" (1978). He began a series of books on the life of Winston Churchill, starting in 1988 with "The Last Lion" and he was working on his last volume when he died. Following his wife's death in 1998, he suffered two heart attacks, and had planned to finish his third volume of a trio on Winston Churchill with Paul Reid assisting him, when he died at his home in Massachusetts.
Author, Historian. A Professor Emeritus of Wesleyan University, and Doctor of Letters, he is best remembered for his detailed historical books on President John F. Kennedy. He wrote 18 books that have been translated into 20 languages. The son of a United States Marine who served in World War I, he also joined the Marine Corps in World War II, rising to the rank of Sergeant and serving in the Pacific Theater at Okinawa, where he was wounded twice. He and John F. Kennedy became friends in 1946, while both were recovering from war wounds, and Manchester became a confidant and companion to Kennedy, and a frequent visitor to his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts. Initially a reporter for the Daily "Oklahoman" and the Baltimore "Sun" newspapers, he wrote his first book, "Disturber of the Peace; the Life of H. L. Mencken" in 1951, and other books soon followed. In 1955, he left journalism and joined Wesleyan University. However, it was his book, "Portrait of a President," (1962) that brought him into public prominence. Following the assassination of Kennedy, the Kennedy family authorized Manchester to write a book about the events around the assassination, but Manchester subsequently found himself embroiled in a public dispute with the family over the control of the content of the book, published as "The Death of a President" in 1967. He later wrote about the dispute in "Controversy," a book of essays. In 1983, he wrote "One Brief Shining Moment" a positive look back at the Kennedy years in politics and in the White House. Other books written by Manchester include "The Arms of Krupp" (1968), about the German weapons maker family, and "American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur" (1978). He began a series of books on the life of Winston Churchill, starting in 1988 with "The Last Lion" and he was working on his last volume when he died. Following his wife's death in 1998, he suffered two heart attacks, and had planned to finish his third volume of a trio on Winston Churchill with Paul Reid assisting him, when he died at his home in Massachusetts.
Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson
