Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, on 30 November 1874. He was educated at Harrow and the Royal Military College at Sandhurst before joining the Army in 1895 and serving in India and Sudan. After leaving the Army in 1899, he worked as a war correspondent for the Morning Post and the following year was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Oldham. In 1904, Churchill decided to join the Liberal Party, and in 1906, was elected Liberal MP for North-West Manchester and was immediately appointed under-secretary of State for the Colonies. In 1908, he was promoted president of the Board of Trade and introduced important social legislation, including the establishment of employment exchanges.

In 1910, Churchill was appointed home secretary, introducing several reforms to the prison system, and the following year, became First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1912, he set up the Royal Naval Air Service and also established an Air Department at the Admiralty. On the outbreak of the First World War, Churchill joined the War Council, but after the failure of the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915, he was moved to the post of chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He rejoined the Army, commanding a battalion on the Western Front and in 1917, resumed office as Minister of Munitions. Between 1919 and 1920, Churchill served as Minister of War and Air and from 1921 to 1922 as Colonial Secretary. In the general election of 1922, Churchill was defeated at Dundee, and after rejoining the Conservative Party, was successfully elected as MP for Epping in 1924. He was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer but lost office in 1929 with the defeat of the Conservative government.

...