Often overshadowed by his more famous son, Lord Randolph Churchill was every bit the skilled orator and politician his son, Winston, would be remembered for being. Indeed, had history played out slightly differently, he could’ve even been Prime Minister!
Yet his disloyalty to Lord Salisbury in the Commons during the latter’s second term seemed to end his promising career before it ever really began, though inadvertently paved the way for his son to become Prime Minister himself…
Early Life
Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill was born on the 13th of February 1849 at 3 Wilton Terrace in the affluent Central London district of Belgravia, as the third son of John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford and his wife, Lady Frances Vane, Marchioness of Blandford.
His father was the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Marlborough, a title then held by Randolph’s grandfather, the 6th Duke. Upon the death of the 6th Duke in 1857, John Spencer-Churchill became the 7th Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, the Duchess.
As the younger son of a Marquess, and later a Duke, Randolph had the courtesy of “Lord”, though was commoner due to the unlikelihood of him inheriting the title, and thus able to sit in the House of Commons, rather than the Lords.
Despite his commoner status, Lord Randolph Churchill was given one of the finest educations available, first attending the prestigious Cheam School and later Eton College.
Much like his elder brother, George (later the 8th Duke), Lord Randolph gained a reputation for being a rather unruly student and didn’t exceed at sports nor academic work, though was never expelled as his older brother had been.
Whilst at Eton, Lord Randolph met and became lifelong friends with Archibald Primrose and Arthur Balfour, both of whom later became Prime Minister in their own rights.
Upon graduation from Eton, Randolph enrolled at Oxford in October 1867, studying history. Attending Oxford with Archibald Primrose – by then known as Lord Dalmeny – who was also studying at Oxford, the pair became inseparable.
Both were members of the Bullingdon Club, a private lunch club for Oxford students known for its champagne-filled parties, and the young Randolph quickly gained a reputation for being a rowdy student.
Regularly in trouble for his drunkenness, smoking in academic uniform and breaking windows at the nearby Randolph Hotel, Randolph was nearly expelled on several occasions, only for his academic achievements and family connections to prevent this.
Indeed, when he graduated in 1870, Randolph received a second-class degree in jurisprudence and modern history.
Alongside his elder brother, George (later the 8th Duke), Randolph was admitted into the rites of Freemasonry in 1871, giving him even further connections to British high society.