Winston Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 the elder son of Lord Randolph Churchill, third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and his American wife Jeanette Jerome; Lord Randolph was a prominent politician who died young, and Lady Randolph was one of the great beauties of her time. He was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst; after seeing active service in India, Egypt and South Africa, and writing as a war correspondent, he entered Parliament as a Conservative in 1900, but joined the Liberal party in 1906. He held many high ministerial offices between 1907 and 1929, and was appointed a Privy Councillor in 1907. During the first world war he also served for a time with the Army in France. After the split in the Liberal party he rejoined the Conservatives, but was kept out of office during the thirties, since his attitude to world politics was out of line with that of the leaders of the party. He had already written many books, chiefly of contemporary history, and during these years made his mark as a scholar by his masterly biography of his famous ancestor Marlborough (4 vols. 1933-38). With the outbreak of war in 1939 he returned to office, and became the great architect of victory over Nazi Germany as Prime Minister 1941-45; he was again Prime Minister 1951-55. He had been created a Companion of Honour in 1922, and was raised to the Order of Merit in 1946. He refused all titled honours except the Garter which he received from the Queen in 1953. Churchill was elected an Honorary Fellow of the College at the centenary celebrations in 1943. He married in 1908, and died on 24 January 1965 aged 90, survived by his wife, with their son and three daughters. Sir Winston Churchill's connection with the College is described in the *Annals* 1956, 18, pages 339 and 394, and 1965, 36, page 129.