In 1900, the 26-year-old Winston Churchill was an ex-soldier with a fine record of active service, a distinguished war reporter and had taken part in the last British cavalry charge at Omdurman (though a war correspondent, he rode with the Lancers) was the author of several books, had escaped from a Boer prison camp, and had been elected Tory MP for Oldham. Instead of going to the opening of Parliament, however, Churchill took himself off on a speaking tour. He needed money, and his agent promised that the tour would earn him over £10,000 in a month (not an improbable figure. he had already earned over £4000 that year speaking in England). He landed in America in December 1900.
His welcome was variable; he was drolly introduced by Mark Twain in New York thus: ‘Mr Churchill by his father is an Englishman, by his mother he is an American, no doubt a blend that makes a perfect man.’ but he was heckled at many events by citizens outraged at Britain’s perceived oppression of the Boer (and the Irish).
Standing in the wings was another Winston Churchill: Winston Churchill the 29-year-old author of the current bestselling historical novel Richard Carvel (1899). The two men, alert to the possibility of book-trade confusion, had already corresponded, with British Winston writing to American Winston thus: ‘Mr Winston Churchill presents his compliments to Mr Winston Churchill and begs to draw his attention to a matter which concerns them both"). British Winston suggested that in future he would sign his books ‘Winston S Churchill thus happily settling the matter (British Winston’s grandson, however, an ex-Tory MP, has also published under the name of ‘Winston S. Churchill’)
They finally met in Boston, inevitably being introduced: ‘Mr Churchill, Mr Churchill’. They had dinner, and discussed American Winston’s new novel The Crisis (not to be confused with British Winston’s later history The World Crisis)
British Winston felt there was not enough warfare in The Crisis for a novel about the American Civil War: ‘put more fighting in it’, he said. A Boston Herald reporter asked British Winston how he was getting on with his namesake: ‘we have become very good friends’, he replied.
‘What Happened Next
British Winston asked his new friend: Why don’t you go into politics? I mean to be Prime Minister of Britain: it would be a great lark if you were President of the United States at the same time’. American Winston became a member of the New Hampshire legislature and even ran for governor, but his political career never took off. None of his novels are now in print. Churchill and Twain had an interesting encounter on the evening Twain introduced him to New York: both men were alpha talkers and great smokers, and retired to a room for some private conversation. When they emerged from the room, they were asked if they had a good time together: Churchill said ‘Yes’, Twain (possibly still joking) said ‘I have had a smoke’.