Sold – Winston Churchill Writes From Chicago Just After a Noted Lecture He Gave There

The Conservative government of which Churchill was a part was defeated in the 1929 General Election. Churchill became estranged from the Conservative leadership over the issues of protective tariffs and Indian Home Rule, which he opposed. When Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government in 1931, Churchill was not invited to join the Cabinet. He was now at the low point in his career, in a period known as "the wilderness years". He spent much of the next few years giving lectures and concentrating on his writing, including Marlborough: His Life and Times – a biography of his ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough – and A History of the English Speaking Peoples. In late 1931, he arrived in the United States on a lecture tour. He had near-fatal traffic accident in New York City in late December, but was able to resume his tour in January 1932. Churchill delivered an address on “The World Economic Crisis” before a packed audience of 1500 in Chicago on February 2, 1932, then stayed for a few more days in that city.

Typed Letter Signed on 1519 Astor Street letterhead, Chicago, Ill., February 6, 1932, to Nicholas Murray Butler, President of Columbia University and President Taft’s running mate in 1912. “Your letter only reaches me here today, and I do not return to New York until the 8th, and then only for a flying visit. I am very much obliged to you for your kind wishes.”