John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
, PC (2 June 1822 – 4 July 1883), styled
Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and
Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British statesman and nobleman. He was the paternal grandfather of
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
.
Marlborough was born at Garboldisham Hall,
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
, the eldest son of
George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of MarlboroughGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough DCL was the son of George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Susan Stewart....
and Lady Jane, daughter of Admiral George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway.
John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
, PC (2 June 1822 – 4 July 1883), styled
Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and
Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British statesman and nobleman. He was the paternal grandfather of
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
.
Background and education
Marlborough was born at Garboldisham Hall,
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
, the eldest son of
George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of MarlboroughGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough DCL was the son of George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Susan Stewart....
and Lady Jane, daughter of Admiral George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway. He was educated at
EtonEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent boarding school for boys aged approx. 13 to 19. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Oriel College, Oxford.
Political career
Marlborough was
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for
WoodstockWoodstock, sometimes called New Woodstock, was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Woodstock in the county of Oxfordshire and the surrounding countryside and villages, and elected two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1571 until 1832...
from 1844 to 1845 and again from 1847 to 1857, when he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords". Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons , and the Lords...
. He served under
Lord DerbyEdward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party...
as Lord Steward of the Household from 1866 to 1867 and under Derby and later Benjamin Disraeli as
Lord President of the CouncilThe Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President has the responsibility of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council...
(with a seat in the cabinet) from 1867 to 1868. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1866 and made a
Knight of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
in 1868. He again held office under Disraeli as
Lord Lieutenant of IrelandThe Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great...
from 1876 to 1880.
Family
On 12 July 1843, Marlborough married Lady Frances Anne Emily (1822 – 1899), the only daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. They had eleven children:
- George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough
George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough was the son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough....
(1844–1892)
- Lord Frederick John Winston Spencer-Churchill (1846–1850).
- Lady Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill (1847–1927), married Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne
Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne was a Welsh industrialist.Sir Ivor Bertie Guest was born at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, the son of Lady Charlotte Guest, translator of the Mabinogion, and Sir John Josiah Guest, owner of the world's largest iron foundry...
- Lady Rosamond Jane Frances Spencer-Churchill (d. 1920)
- Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill
Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill, was a British statesman.Lord Randolph was the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Frances Anne Emily Vane-Tempest , daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry...
(1849–1895), ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
and the father of Prime Minister Sir Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
.
- Lady Fanny Octavia Louise Spencer-Churchill (1853–1904). She married Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth
Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth KT, PC was a British Liberal Party statesman who served in various capacities in the Liberal governments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Background:...
.
- Lady Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill
Anne Emily Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe VA OBE was born Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill, and was the daughter of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, who served in Conservative governments as Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Her brother Lord Randolph Churchill was a...
(1854–1923)
- Lord Charles Ashley Spencer-Churchill (1856–1858)
- Lord Augustus Robert Spencer-Churchill (1858–1859)
- Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Spencer-Churchill (1860–1906)
- Lady Sarah Isabella Augusta Spencer-Churchill
Lady Sarah Isabella Augusta Wilson , was the youngest daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and aunt of Winston Spencer Churchill. In 1899 she became the first woman war correspondent when she was recruited by Alfred Harmsworth to cover the Siege of Mafeking for the Daily...
(1865–1929)
Marlborough died in July 1883, aged 61, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George. The Duchess of Marlborough died in April 1899, aged 77.