National Wiston Churchil Day
an honorary citizen of the United States. Well known for his leadership as Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, Winston Churchill earned
his reputation through experience both in politics and the military.
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965)
was a British politician, army officer, and writer. He was the Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, when he led Britain to victory in the Second
World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill represented five constituencies
during his career as a Member of Parliament (MP). Ideologically an economic
liberal and imperialist, for most of his career he was a member of the Conservative
Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955, but from 1904 to 1924 was a member of
the Liberal Party.
On this day in 1963, a ceremony for honorary citizenship presided over by President
John F. Kennedy, took place for Winston Churchill. While Churchill was not
present at the ceremony, his son and grandson attended.
Honorary though his citizenship may be, Churchill can uniquely trace his roots back
to Virginia by way of Brooklyn, New York. His mother was American, Jennie
Jerome. Her marriage to Lord Randolph Churchill produced two children: John
Spencer and Winston.
It was the first occasion in U.S. history an honorary citizenship was granted. Since
then, only seven other honorary citizenships have been granted. Of those, six have
been posthumous honors. In 1996, the U.S. granted Mother Teresa the only other
honorary citizenship during a person’s lifetime.
Quite the rare honor, even for a man who had received many honors throughout his lifetime.
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