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William Manchester

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Author

The Resume

    (April 1, 1922-June 1, 2004)
    Born in Springfield, Massachusetts
    Wrote the novels 'The City of Anger' (1953) and 'The Long Gainer' (1961)
    Wrote the biographies 'Disturber of the Peace' (about H. L. Mencken, 1951), 'The House of Krupp' (1968), 'American Caesar' (about Douglas MacArthur, 1978) and two volumes of 'The Last Lion' (about Winston Churchill, 1983-88)
    Wrote 'Portrait of a President' (1964) and 'The Death of a President' (1968) about John F. Kennedy
    History professor and writer-in-residence at Wesleyan University

Why he might be annoying:

    Although Jacqueline Kennedy had authorized 'The Death of a President,' she sued to prevent its publication.
    The tapes of his conversations with Jackie Kennedy are sealed until 2067.
    Lyndon Johnson said about 'Death of a President,' 'All of it makes Bobby look like a great hero and makes me look like a son of a bitch and 95% of it is completely fabricated.'
    When his publishers hired another author to complete 'The Last Lion' when a stroke left him unable to write, he complained, 'It's like asking a mother to let someone else raise her baby.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was known for his meticulous research and lively writing style.
    He was married to his wife Julia for 50 years until her death.
    He served with the Marines in World War II and was seriously wounded at Okinawa.
    When students at Wesleyan staged a 'die in' to protest Marine recruiters on campus, he wrote a letter to the school newspaper noting, 'Clearly they knew nothing of how fighting men die' and provided a bluntly graphic description, adding, 'If they are going to do it, they ought to do it right.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 68.75% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 55 Votes: 65.45% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 27 Votes: 48.15% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 29 Votes: 48.28% Annoying