Born Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill at Blenheim Palace the son of a prominent Tory politician Randolph Churchill. He attended Royal Military College and Sandhurst before seeing action on the North West Frontier and the Sudan. He was captured whilst working as a journalist during the Boer War, but managed to escape. In 1900 he became a Tory member of Parliament for Oldham, however he joined the Liberals in 1904. During his parliamentary career, Churchill was undersecretary at the Colonial Office in 1905.
In 1908 as president of the Board of Trade and in 1910 took over as Home Secretary, followed by first lord of the Admiralty twice in 1911 and 1939. Churchill was also minister for munitions, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister twice, most notably during the 2nd World War. During the war his inspirational speeches which gave encouragement to both the military and those at home and he was applauded for his determination to defeat Germany. Churchill remained in Parliament until shortly before his death on 24 January 1965, a state funeral was given for this great man.