Manigault (pronounced MAN-eh-go) was born in Charleston on October 10, 1731, and was part of a wealthy French Huguenot immigrant family.

[5] He was privately educated in the Province of South Carolina and in England, traveled extensively in Europe, studied law at London's Inner Temple, and was called to the English bar in 1752.

[6] He returned to South Carolina in 1754, where he practiced law, became a successful merchant and banker, and managed his family's extensive plantation holdings.

[13] She was the daughter of Judith (née Dubose) and Joseph Wragg, an English-born American who was one of the largest slave traders in British North America.

[14] Their children included:[15] In 1773, Manigault's health worsened, and he left South Carolina for England in an effort to find a cure.