Machtley was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on July 13, 1948 and attended public schools. He received a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1970, serving in the United States Navy from 1970 to 1975 and United States Naval Reserve from 1975 to 1995. Machtley received a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978 and was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1978. Machtley was elected as a Republican to the One Hundred First and to the two succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1989 to January 3, 1995. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1994, but was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Rhode Island. Since 1996, Machtley has served as president of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.