Born to a poor family in Greenville, South Carolina in June 1917, Oates was abandoned by his father in infancy and was brought up by his grandmother and sister while his mother supported them by working in a cotton mill.
Родился в бедной семье в городе Гринвилл, Южная Каролина, в июне 1917 г. Ещё в младенчестве лишился отца; о нём заботились бабушка, сестра и мать, которая работала в хлопчатобумажном комбинате.