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Manchester was the son of a WWI Marine, and grew up in Attleboro, Massachusetts. After his father's death, and the attack on Pearl Harbor, he likewise enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, though he was ordered back to college until called up. Although he expected to serve in Europe, Manchester ultimately found himself in the Pacific. He served on Guadalcanal after the Japanese defeat there, and experienced combat in the last major battle of the Pacific War, on Okinawa.
His wartime experiences formed the basis for his very personal account of the Pacific Theater, Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War. (He later wrote of WWII in a number of his other books, including his second of a planned three part biography of Winston Churchill, and a biography of Gen. Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur GCB ( January 26, 1880— April 5, 1964) was an American military leader. He served in the U. Army his entire life, taking part in three major wars ( World War I, World War II, Korean War) and rising to the rank of General of the Army, one.)
He received a B.A. from the University of MassachusettsThe University of Massachusetts (commonly referred to as UMass is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The five campuses are UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Lowell, and the UMass Medical School in 1946Events January January 4 Theodore Schurch becomes the last person to be executed for offences committed under the Treachery Act of 1940 January 7 Allied recognize Austrian republic with 1937 borders the country is divided into four occupation zones Januar and a master's degreeA master's degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. In the UK it is sometimes awarded for an undergraduate course whose final year consists of higher-level courses and a major re from the University of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is one of two public state university systems. There are several campuses in the system, including: University of Missouri Columbia the main campus University of Missouri Kansas City University of Missouri Rolla engineeri in 1947Events January January 1 British mines nationalized January 1 Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. January 10 United Na. He worked as a reporter for the Daily Oklahoman and Baltimore Sun. He published his first book, a biography of H. L. Mencken, in 1951, then followed it up with a novel two years later.
In 1955 Manchester became an editor for Wesleyan University and spent the rest of his career there, later becoming an adjunct professor of history and writer-in-residence there.
He remarked that the generation coming of age in the 1950s were "withdrawn, cautious, unimaginative, indifferent, unadventurous and silent", helping to cement the generational moniker Silent Generation.
Following the death of his wife in 1998, Manchester suffered two strokes, and announced, to the disappointment of many of his readers, that he would not be able to complete the previously planned third volume of his three part biography of Churchill.