Winston Churchill – Man of the 20th Century – Approves a List of Articles on Those He Considered the “Greatest Men of All Time”

This letter assented to the list, and articles linking Churchill with Washington, Caesar, Napoleon, Newton, Buddha, Charlemagne, and Aristotle, among others

Winston Churchill’s main source of income was not his salary as a Member of Parliament, but as an author. He was a journalist as early as the mid-1890s, and then reported from captivity during the Boer War. As a serving MP he began publishing pamphlets containing his speeches or answers to key parliamentary questions. Beginning with Mr Winston Churchill on the Education Bill (1902), over 135 such tracts were published over his career. He wrote 43 book length works in 72 volumes, including his 6-volume history of the Second World War. His first book was printed in 1898, and the last in 1958, a remarkable span of 60 years. Four of the works were fiction, showing the breadth of his writing genius. There were 28 books published containing collections of his speeches. He also wrote some 10,000 articles for newspapers and magazines over a period of decades on a broad variety of subjects.

In many cases, these newspaper articles were for-hire, commissioned by such publications as Colliers, News of the World, the Daily Mail, and the Sunday Dispatch. The News of the World was so fond of his work that from 1936 and 1939, they paid him £400 for article, which would be £12,000 (or over $15,000 ) in today’s money. Quite a sum to pay a columnist during the Depression, and enough to keep Churchill in his Pol Roger champagne and Romeo y Julieta brand cigars. Major Percy Davies was director of the News of the World, and Sir Emsley Carr was the editor in the 1930s. When Carr died in 1941 Davies ascended to the editorial position. It was with these men that Churchill dealt.

In early 1936, and ending in April of that year, Churchill contracted to write a series on “Great Men I Have Known”, and he the News of the World executives discussed subjects. Articles were written by Churchill on Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, Admiral Fisher of World War I note, King George V, General Sir John French, General Douglas Haig who was the senior British commander during World War I, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, Lord Curzon, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and Georges Clemenceau, among others.

In April Churchill wrote Davies with another idea, a way to continue and expand the concept. His new idea: “Great Men of All Time,” and he included a list of proposed subjects in his letter. The list contained 27 names, and in 25 cases it gave fascinating and insightful reasons the men were chosen. Here is Churchill’s list of the “Great Men of All Time”, from his April letter.

“Confusius – Explains China; Buddha – At the root of the Oriental; Mahomet – Splendid action, the counter-drive to Christianity; St. Patrick – Action and leadership. The symbol of Ireland’s action of the world for 1,500 years; St. Francis – The most influential of Saints. The 13th century incarnate; Julius Caesar, Hadrian – Action and Statecraft, and Marcus Aurelius – Power and Philosophy; Plato and Aristotle – Every man since has been either a Platonist or Aristotelian in thought; Alcibiades and Alexander – Great Greeks; Cicero – Greatest all-around Roman. Law – orator – letters; Demosthenes – Invented the demagogue; Soloman and St. Paul – Biblical contrasts; Homer and Moses – Mythic but influential. One on all literature and the other on religion; Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo – Renaissance artists as great as the Greeks; Sir Isaac Newton and Darwin – Science; Charlemagne and Pope Innocent III – Middle Ages; Benjamin Franklin and Washington – America; and Napoleon, who seemed to need no justification.

Churchill and Davies followed up in May to finalize the list. Letter signed, on his Chartwell letterhead, May 5, 1936, to Davies, approving the list and making no additions. “This is an admirable list. I cannot suggest any improvement at the moment, but perhaps while I am doing the work I may make you some fresh suggestions. Let us accept this list as provisional.” He adds a PS, “I was so sorry about the Adventures.”

A letter of historic importance, that led to articles linking Churchill with Washington, Caesar, Napoleon, Newton, Buddha, Charlesmagne, and Aristotle, among others.