Churchill, Sir Winston (1874–1965)

Sir Winston Churchill is best known for his leadership of Great Britain as prime minister during the Second World War, but that was the high point of a long and varied career in British politics. Churchill was elected to the House of Commons in 1900 as the representative for Oldham. He was to continue as a member of the House for 64 years, holding every major cabinet post except the foreign ministry post and ascending to the office of prime minister twice.

By the time he was elected to Parliament at the age of 25, Churchill was already a well-known soldier, journalist, and author. During his time in the British army, Churchill served in several of Queen Victoria's “Little Wars,” seeing action in India, the Sudan, ...