Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born 30th Nov 1874 and died on 24th Jan 1965. Churchill was a politician and statesman renowned in the UK for the qualities of his leadership during the Second World War.
Churchill remains highly regarded as being a great wartime leader who served as UK Prime Minister two times from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.
Churchill was a noteworthy statesman and orator who also served as an officer in the British Army. Churchill was also a historian, an author and an artist.
Churchill is currently the only UK prime minister awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and became the first person ever made an honorary US citizen.
Winston Churchill was born into the family of the Dukes of Marlborough. Lord Randolph Churchill, Winstons father, was known as a charismatic politician in his own right, serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Jenny Jerome, Winstons mother, was a US born socialite.
Churchill, while serving as a young officer in the army, experienced action in the Sudan, India and during the Second Boer War. He gained widespread recognition as a war correspondent and the books he authored about his campaigns.
At the forefront of politics for fifty years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Before the outbreak of the First World War, he served as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty as part of the Asquith Liberal government. During the war, he continued as First Lord of the Admiralty until the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign, which he had sponsored, caused his departure from government. He then served briefly on the Western Front, commanding the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He returned to government as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Air. After the War, Churchill served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative (Baldwin) government of 1924–29, controversially returning the pound sterling in 1925 to the gold standard at its pre-War parity, a move widely seen as creating deflationary pressure on the UK economy. Also controversial were Churchill's opposition to increased home rule for India, and his resistance to the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII.
Out of office and politically "in the wilderness" during the 1930s, Churchill took the lead in warning about the danger from Hitler and in campaigning for rearmament. On the outbreak of the Second World War, he was again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister. His steadfast refusal to consider defeat, surrender or a compromise peace helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult early days of the War when Britain stood alone in its active opposition to Hitler. Churchill was particularly noted for his speeches and radio broadcasts, which helped inspire the British people. He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory had been secured over Nazi Germany.
After the Conservative Party lost the 1945 election, he became Leader of the Opposition. In 1951, he again became Prime Minister, before retiring in 1955. Upon his death, The Queen granted him the honour of a state funeral, which saw one of the largest assemblies of world statesmen ever. Churchill is widely regarded as among the most influential men in British history.
