A Visit to the "Great Republic"

In 1929, Winston Churchill visited Virginia and made Richmond's elegant Executive Mansion, the oldest in the United States, the base of his operations. Edwin Slipek Jr. notes:

"In May 1929, the energetic Churchill, 54, suddenly found himself out of political power and with a rare chunk of time on his hands…. He lost his position as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and not unimportantly, the salary that came with it....Seeking to generate some income, Churchill decided to step up his writing, a skill for which he also was widely recognized. His new projects included a biography of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, an ancestor, as well as a series of 10 newspaper articles for London's Daily Telegraph that would chronicle his North American trip."

Churchill relished the trip, and when he wasn't writing or socializing with his hosts, Gov. Harry F. Byrd and his wife, Anne Beverley Byrd, he could often be found tramping through Civil War battlefields and touring museums as backgrounds for books and articles. After his stay in Richmond, Churchill said goodbye to the Governor and his wife, and left for Fredericksburg and more slogging through thickets and open battlefields.

Churchill posing on the White House steps shortly after visiting 
Richmond
With his writing completed, Winston Churchill, accompanied by his nephew John and his son Randolph (Clemmie was ill and decided to stay in Virginia) left Virginia to visit the rest of the United States. Unfortunately, just when was beginning to recover his lost wealth, the bottom of the stock market fell. Churchill, who was at Wall Street on Black Tuesday, fled back to England to avoid more money troubles in America. Despite the tragic ending of his vacation, Churchill always remembered his pleasant stay in Virginia.


Look for a post on Churchill's post-war return to Virginia soon.

Sources:

Library of Congress "Churchill and the 'Great Republic'"
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/churchill/interactive/_html/2_02_00.html

Style Weekly "Winston Churchill in Richmond" by Edwin Slipek Jr.
https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/winston-churchill-in-richmond/Content?oid=6782584

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