Winston Churchill

The Right Honourable Sir Winston Churchill KG OM CH TD FRS PC
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 26 October 1951 – 7 April 1955
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Deputy	Anthony Eden
Preceded by	Clement Attlee
Succeeded by	Anthony Eden
In office 10 May 1940 – 27 July 1945
Monarch	George VI
Deputy	Clement Attlee
Preceded by	Neville Chamberlain
Succeeded by	Clement Attlee
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 6 November 1924 – 4 June 1929
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Philip Snowden
Succeeded by	Philip Snowden
Home Secretary
In office 19 February 1910 – 24 October 1911
Prime Minister	Herbert Henry Asquith
Preceded by	Herbert Gladstone
Succeeded by	Reginald McKenna
Personal details
Born	30 November 1874(1874-11-30) Blenheim, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Died	24 January 1965 (aged 90) Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom
Resting place	St Martin's Church, Bladon, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative (1900–1904, 1924–1964) Liberal (1904–1924)
Spouse(s)	Clementine Churchill
Relations	Pamela Harriman (former daughter-in-law)
Children	Diana Spencer-Churchill Randolph Churchill Sarah Tuchet-Jesson Marigold Churchill Mary Soames
Residence	10 Downing Street (official) Chartwell (private)
Alma mater	Harrow School, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Profession	Member of Parliament, statesman, soldier, journalist, historian, author, painter

Winston Churchill's identification document as an Honorary Citizen of the United States, provided as a gift from President John F. Kennedy.

Churchill in military uniform in 1895

A young Winston Churchill on a lecture tour of the United States in 1900

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG OM CH TD FRS PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was an English politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during and after World War II.

He is the only person to have been a member of the British Government during both world wars, and the last commoner (non-royal) to be granted a State funeral. Many people say that he was the greatest British leader of the twentieth century. He was also a soldier, journalist, and author. He won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1953.

He is the only British Prime Minister to have received the Nobel Prize, and the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States of America.

Personal life

Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England, the home of the Dukes of Marlborough. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a younger son of the 7th Duke, and a leading Tory politician. His mother (née Jenny Jerome) was American.

As a boy, Churchill went to the famous Harrow School. He did not get good results, but he was good at fighting.

He joined the British Army, in 1893. In 1896, he was transferred to Bombay, in what was the Indian Empire (British India). He fought in what is now Pakistan. After this, he fought in a war in Sudan, in 1898 as an officer in the cavalry. In 1899, he went to the Boer War in South Africa, to be a newspaper reporter. He was captured by the Boers, but managed to escape.

In 1900, he became a politician in the Conservative Party, and was elected to Parliament. In 1904, he changed parties and joined the Liberal Party, but later returned to the Conservative Party. He married Clementine Hozier in 1908, and had 5 children named Diana, Randolph, Sarah, Marigold and Mary.

World War I

In 1910 Churchill became Home Secretary, one of the most important members of the government. In 1911 he was made First Lord of the Admiralty, which made him in charge of the Royal Navy. When World War I broke out, he stayed in that job. He organized an invasion in Gallipoli which went wrong, and because of this, he was made to leave the government. He joined the army and was sent to fight in France, although he was still a Member of Parliament. In 1917 he was made minister in charge of military supplies (Minister of Munitions).

Between the wars

After World War I, in 1919, Churchill was made Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Air (aircraft). In 1921 he was in charge of the colonies as Secretary of State. Soon after, in 1922 he lost in an election. In 1924 he became a member of Parliament again, this time not as a member of any party. In 1925 he joined the Conservative Party again. He became Chancellor of the Exchequer (Minister of Finance) in 1924.

After 1929, Churchill disagreed with many things the Conservative party believed in. He was not given any job in the government. Instead he wrote books. One was called Marlborough: his life and times, about his famous ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough; another was A History of the English Speaking Peoples, which was not published until after World War 2.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Churchill warned that Britain should strengthen its military and oppose Hitler. However, very few leaders agreed with him.

World War II

At the start of World War II, Churchill was again put in charge of the Navy. In 1940 the war was going badly for Britain, and the Prime Minister resigned. Churchill was given the job. Some people thought that Britain could not win the war, and that the British government should make peace with Hitler. Churchill was sure that Britain could win, and promised to continue the fight. He made famous speeches that are still remembered today.

He was friends with the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He persuaded Roosevelt to give supplies to Britain, and to help Britain. He had many meetings with Roosevelt and with Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, after they came into the war. They were called the Big Three.

After the war

In 1945, his Conservative party lost an election, and he stopped being Prime Minister. However, he became Prime Minister again in 1951, which he was until 1955.

He was knighted in 1953, and became Sir Winston, and also won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

In 1955, he retired from being Prime Minister. In 1964, he retired from Parliament.

Sir Winston died of a stroke at the age of 90, in 1965. When he died, his wife Lady Clementine Churchill and other members of the family were at his bedside.