Winston Churchill

He married Clementine Hozier in 1908. Their marriage was a happy one, marked by mutual love and respect. Five children were born to them, of which one died as a child.

Winston Churchill lived a long life. He suffered from ill health during his later years. He suffered his first major stroke in 1953, at age of 78 which left him unable to speak and walk properly. He suffered another major stroke on 15 January 1965 and died nine days later on on 24 January 1965.

His funeral was the largest state funeral in world history up to that time. Representatives from 112 nations attended the event and he was mourned by millions across the globe who watched the funeral on television.

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, into an aristocratic family. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a prominent politician while his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (née Jennie Jerome), was the daughter of an American millionaire.

Growing up, he did not have a close relationship with either of his parents and was primarily raised by nannies. He was especially close to his nanny, Elizabeth Ann Everest, who he considered his friend and confidante.

He was a rebellious young boy who detested formal education. In April 1888, he was sent to Harrow School, a boarding school near London. He did poorly there though he developed a love for English language.

After leaving Harrow in 1893, he applied to attend the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He failed in his initial attempts to pass the test but eventually got selected. He graduated in December 1894 and was commissioned as a cornet (second lieutenant) in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in .

During the Cuban War of Independence, he travelled to Cuba; he had obtained a commission to write about the conflict from the ‘Daily Graphic’ as a war-time correspondent. He returned to England when he learned that his nanny Elizabeth Ann Everest was dying.

In 1896, he was transferred to British India where he worked as both soldier and journalist on the North-West Frontier in 1897. His journalistic works became very popular during this period and helped to establish him as a successful writer.

In 1897, Churchill fought against a Pashtun tribe in Malakand—now in Pakistan—under the leadership of General Jeffery. After the victory of the British Army he wrote an account of the fight, which was published in 1900 as ‘The Story of the Malakand Field Force’ for which he received £600.

Transferred to Egypt in 1898, he served in Sudan under the command of General Herbert Kitchener. There he participated in the Battle of Omdurman before returning to Britain. Churchill resigned from the British Army in May 1899.

The Second Boer War between Britain and the Boer Republics broke out in 1899 and Churchill obtained a commission as war correspondent for ‘The Morning Post’. He went to South Africa for the assignment where he was captured and taken prisoner by the Boers. He made a dramatic escape and returned successfully to Britain. He wrote about his experiences in the book ‘London to Ladysmith’ (1900).

He then ventured into politics and became a Member of Parliament for Oldham in 1900. Initially a member of the Conservative Party, he moved to the Liberal Party in 1904. Eventually he was appointed to the prime minister's cabinet as president of the Board of Trade.

He soon established himself as a successful politician and was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911. In this position he emphasized on modernization of British Navy and set up the Royal Navy Air Service. He favored using airplanes in combat and even took flying lessons himself to understand its military potential.

The World War I was going on during this time and in 1917 he was appointed minister of munitions for overseeing the production of tanks, airplanes and munitions. After the war he served as minister of war and air and colonial secretary from 1919 to 1922.

He eventually rejoined the Conservative Party and was made the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In this position he returned Britain to the Gold Standard. This decision proved to be disastrous and resulted in widespread unemployment that led to the General Strike of 1926. Later on Churchill regarded this as a huge mistake.