Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill - biography.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill - biography. British politician and prime minister of the United Kingdom Birth November 30, 1874 Death January 24, 1965 Place of Birth Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England Political Conservative Party Official Title Prime minister Term 1940-1945 Prime minister of the United Kingdom 1951-1955 Prime minister of the United Kingdom Known for Leading the United Kingdom and the Allies to victory in World War II. Award 1953 Nobel Prize in literature Milestones 1901 Elected Conservative member of Parliament for the electoral district of Oldham 1910-1911 Served as home secretary 1911-1915 Served as first lord of the admiralty and helped prepare for World War I 1919-1921 Secretary of state for War and Air 1921-1922 Secretary of state for the Colonial Office 1924 Elected Conservative member of Parliament for the electoral district of Epping, remaining an MP until 1964 1924-1929 Chancellor of the Exchequer, the British department in charge of the collection and management of the national revenue 1939-1940 Served a second time as first lord of the admiralty 1940 Assumes post of prime minister after Germany invades Holland and Belgium and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigns 1946 Gave his famous 'Iron Curtain' speech in Fulton, Missouri 1948-1954 Published The Second World War, a six-volume historical account of the events in which he played such a large role Quote 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.' May 13, 1940; part of Churchill's first speech as prime minister to the House of Commons. DidYou Know While working as a newspaper correspondent during the Boer War in South Africa, Churchill was captured by the Boers, but made a daring escape. Although Churchill was a member of the Conservative Party for most of his life, he was a member of the Liberal Party between 1904 and 1924. Churchill coined the phrase 'iron curtain' to describe the Soviet Union's partitioning of Europe after World War II. Painting was one of Churchill's many talents, and the Royal Academy of Arts in London featured an exhibit of his works in 1959. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.