Doug Manchester

Douglas Frederick "Doug" Manchester (born May 31, 1942) is an American businessperson, real estate developer, and newspaper publisher based in San Diego, California. Manchester, who prefers to be called "Papa Doug",^[1] has built some of the tallest hotels and office buildings in San Diego and is credited as a driving force behind the development of the San Diego Convention Center.^[2] He owns and publishes U-T San Diego.

Early life and education

Born in Los Angeles, Manchester grew up in Coronado, California and the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego. He attended La Jolla High School where he played football. He then went to San Diego State University, where he was a member of Sigma Chi and worked as a campus representative for an insurance company.^[2]

Business activities

After graduating from college Manchester went into real estate, eventually becoming known for developing large upscale projects. In the 1980s Manchester built a 27-story office tower called the Columbia Centre, now known as the First National Bank Building.^[3] It is currently the 18th tallest building in San Diego.^[4] In the 1990s he constructed several landmark hotels: the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, whose two towers are the third tallest and seventh tallest buildings in San Diego, and the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, whose twin towers are the 20th tallest buildings in San Diego.^[4] He subsequently sold both hotels to Host Hotels & Resorts.^[5][6] He also built and owns the Grand Del Mar luxury resort. Along the way he founded two banks, the La Jolla Bank and Trust Company (1973) and La Jolla Pacific Savings Bank (1984).^[7]

In 2011 Manchester bought the San Diego Union-Tribune from Platinum Equity for an undisclosed sum in excess of $110,000 million.^[8] In 2012 he bought the competing North County Times and merged it and its subsidiary The Californian into the Union-Tribune.^[9] In November 2013 he bought eight local weeklies in the San Diego area, which continue to be published as separate papers.^[10]

Political activities

Manchester is "an outspoken supporter of conservative causes".^[8] He donates to Republican candidates at both the local and national level, and once described Donald Rumsfeld as his hero.^[2] On buying the Union-Tribune he stated his intention of using the newspaper to promote conservative causes, and the paper's editorial page took on a strongly conservative tone,^[11] including the use of front-page wraparound sections to promote development projects and political candidates.^[12][13] The New York Times noted that Manchester seems to be using the paper as a "brochure for his special interests", citing San Diego as "a situation where moneyed interests buy papers and use them to prosecute a political and commercial agenda."^[14]

In 2008 he donated $125,000 to support signature gathering for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.^[15] When the amendment qualified for the ballot as California Proposition 8 he also donated to the campaign in favor of it. Manchester explained his position by saying, "While I respect everyone’s choice of partner, my Catholic faith and longtime affiliation with the Catholic Church leads me to believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman."^[15] His prominent support for the initiative, which was approved by voters in November 2008 but was ultimately ruled unconstitutional, led to calls by gay-rights groups for a boycott of Manchester's hotels.^[16]

Philanthropy

Manchester and his Manchester Charitable Foundation have donated six- or seven-figure sums to several universities, schools, and other charities. Beneficiaries have included his alma mater San Diego State University,^[7] Wake Forest University, the University of San Diego, local high schools and hospitals, and cancer and child abuse prevention organizations. In November 2013 the Nice Guys, a local philanthropic organization, named him "Nice Guy of the Year".^[17] He is a former trustee of the University of San Diego and of Wake Forest University, and is currently on the board of trustees of the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute.^[18]

Personal life

In January 1965 he married Elizabeth "Betsy" Manchester, whom he met when both were students at San Diego State; they have five children and thirteen grandchildren. They led a lavish lifestyle, with homes in San Diego, Idaho, North Carolina and Mexico,^[2] and threw six-figure birthday parties and weddings.^[19] In June 2009 the couple filed for divorce but instead reached a separation agreement, formalized in January 2010. In May 2013 Manchester again filed for divorce.^[19] His divorce proceedings have been called "ironic" because of his expressed support for "traditional marriage" and his Catholic faith;^[20] Manchester himself admitted that the situation makes him appear hypocritical.^[1]

Recognition

• May 31, 2012 (Manchester's 70th birthday) was declared to be "Papa Doug Manchester Day" in San Diego County by the county Board of Supervisors.^[21]
• Multiple buildings and facilities are named for him at Wake Forest University (Manchester Plaza, Manchester Hall),^[22] the University of San Diego (Douglas F. Manchester Executive Conference Center, Manchester Family Child Development Center, Manchester Village Apartments),^[23][24] and The Bishop's School (Manchester Library & Learning Center).^[25]

References