John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough

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For other people named John Spencer-Churchill, see John Spencer-Churchill (disambiguation).

His Grace
The Duke of Marlborough
DL
Member of the House of Lords
as Duke of Marlborough
In office
30 June 1934 – 11 March 1972
Preceded byCharles Spencer-Churchill
Succeeded byJohn Spencer-Churchill
Personal details
Born
John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill

(1897-09-18)18 September 1897
London, England
Died11 March 1972(1972-03-11) (aged 74)
London, England
Spouses
Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan
​
​
(m. 1920; died 1961)​
​
​
(m. 1972)​
Children
Parents
ResidenceBlenheim Palace

John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, DL (18 September 1897 – 11 March 1972), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1934, was a British military officer and peer.

Early life[edit]

Portrait of John Spencer-Churchill with his parents and younger brother, by John Singer Sargent, 1905.

He was born in London on 18 September 1897 as the first of two sons born to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress.[1] His younger brother was Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill who joined the Royal Army Service Corps and fought in the First World War.[2] His parents separated in 1906 and divorced in 1921. Later that year his mother married Lt. Col. Jacques Balsan, a wealthy French balloon, aircraft, and hydroplane pilot,[3] and his father married the French American Gladys Deacon.[4][5]

His paternal grandparents were George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, Lady Albertha Hamilton (a daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and Lady Louisa Russell).[6]

His mother was the eldest child, and only daughter, of William Kissam Vanderbilt, a New York railroad millionaire, and the former Alva Erskine Smith. They divorced in 1895; she married his friend Oliver Belmont and he married the widow Anne Harriman.[7] His maternal uncles were William Kissam Vanderbilt II and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt.

Marlborough was educated at Eton before joining the Life Guards.[8]

Career[edit]

Prior to inheriting the dukedom in 1934, he was a lieutenant-colonel in the Life Guards, and served with distinction in France and Belgium during World War I. After the war, he served as Mayor of Woodstock, where Blenheim is located, from 1937 to 1942. His wife served as the first woman mayor of Woodstock.[9] He also served as High Steward of Oxford in 1937.[10] He enlisted during World War II and was a military liaison officer with the United States forces in Britain.[8]

In 1950, the Duke opened the grounds and many rooms of Blenheim Palace (including the bedroom in which Sir Winston Churchill was born) to the public to help defray the cost of upkeep.[11] Today, he is known as one of the originators of the "stately homes" business.[8]

Personal life[edit]

The grave of the 10th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife at St Martin's Church, Bladon

On 17 February 1920, he was married to the Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan (1900–1961) at a ceremony at St Margaret's Church in London attended by King George V and Queen Mary.[12] As a wedding gift, his maternal grandfather gave him a house in London.[12] She was a daughter of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, the son and heir of George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan.[9] Together, they had two sons and three daughters:

Second marriage[edit]

Six weeks before his death, on 26 January 1972, the Duke married his second wife, (Frances) Laura (née Charteris) Canfield (1915–1990), the widow of the American publishing heir Michael Temple Canfield (whose first wife had been Caroline Lee Bouvier, the sister of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). Laura Canfield was the second daughter of the Hon. Guy Lawrence Charteris (the second son of Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and Lady Frances Lucy Tennant). Laura's older sister, Ann Geraldine Mary Charteris, was married to the novelist Ian Fleming. Laura herself was previously married to and divorced from Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long and William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley.[25]

The Duke died at a hospital in London on 11 March 1972,[8] and was succeeded by his son John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford.[10] He and his first wife are buried in the churchyard of St Martin's Church, Bladon.

Descendants[edit]

Through his eldest daughter, Lady Sarah (who inherited the bulk of his mother's estate upon her death in 1965),[26] he was a grandfather of four: Serena Mary Churchill Russell (b. 1944) (who married Neil Balfour), Consuelo Sarah Russell (b. 1946), Alexandra Brenda Russell (b. 1949), and Jacqueline Russell (b. 1958).[10]

Through his second daughter, Lady Caroline, he was a grandfather of three: Michael Thomas Waterhouse (b. 1949), Elizabeth Ann Waterhouse (b. 1951) (who married Sir Richard Gervase Beckett), and David Charles Waterhouse (b. 1956).[10]

Through his third daughter Lady Rosemary, he was a grandfather of three: Alexander Pepys Muir (b. 1954) (a godson of Princess Margaret),[27] Simon Huntly Muir (b. 1959), and Mary Arabella Muir (b. 1962).[10]

Through his youngest son, Lord Charles, he was a grandfather of three: Rupert John Harold Mark Spencer-Churchill (b. 1971), Dominic Albert Charles Spencer-Churchill (b. 1979), and Alexander David Spencer-Churchill (b. 1983).[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mrs. Balsan Dies; Former Vanderhill". The New York Times. 7 December 1964. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  2. ^ Times, Special to the New York (18 September 1956). "LORD IVOR CHURCHILL, 57; Patron of Modern Art, a Noted Collector, Dies in London". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  3. ^ "JACQUES BALSAN, AVIATION PIONEER; French Flier Is Dead at 88-- War Pilot Set Records in Balloons and Planes Volunteer in Morocco". The New York Times. 6 November 1956. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. ^ "MARLBOROUGH WILL WED GLADYS DEACON; Dukes Engagement to Former Friend of His Ex-Wife Announced in London.BRIDE-TO-BE WELL KNOWNHas Several Times Been Reported Engaged to Marry Members of European Nobility". The New York Times. 2 June 1921. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  5. ^ Apple Jr, R. W. (18 October 1977). "Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, Friend of Proust, Degas and Rilke". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. ^ "MARLBOROUGH DIES; NINTH DUKE OF LINE; Marriage in 1895 to Consuelo Vanderbilt, Then 17, Was Widely Discussed. OWNED BLENHEIM ESTATE Soldier and an Active Figure in Public Affairs -- His Heir Has Dairy Produce Shop". The New York Times. 1 July 1934. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. ^ Stuart, Amanda Mackenzie, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and Mother in the Gilded Age, Harper Perennial, 2005, ISBN 978-0-06-093825-3, p. 69
  8. ^ a b c d "Duke of Marlborough Is Dead; Master of Blenheim Palace, 74". The New York Times. 12 March 1972. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Duchess of Marlborough Dies; Often Was Hostess to the Queen". The New York Times. 24 May 1961. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Marlborough, Duke of (E, 1702)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  11. ^ Leonard, John (24 September 1950). "Stately Showmen; British nobles are turning their palaces into museums". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b "KING AND QUEEN AT BLANDFORD NUPTIAL; Marquis, Son of Duchess of Marlborough, Marries the Honorable Mary Cadogan IN ST. MARGARET'S CHURCH Bridegroom Is a Grandson of Wm. K. Vanderbilt, Sr., Who Gave Him a London House as Present". The New York Times. 18 February 1920. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Marchioness of Blandford's Infant Daughter Christened". Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  14. ^ Pace, Eric (19 October 2000). "Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, 78, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Lady Caroline Waterhouse (née Spencer-Churchill)". National Portrait Gallery.
  16. ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (6 December 1946). "MARLBOROUGH KIN IS WED; Lady Caroline Spencer-Churchill Bride of Maj. Hugo Waterhouse". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Duke of Marlborough dies". Blenheim Palace.
  18. ^ "BLANDFORD TO MARRY; Marquess, Friend of Princess, to Wed Miss Susan Hornby". The New York Times. 20 June 1951. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  19. ^ Ehrlich, Phyllis A. (1 June 1972). "Swedish Countess Bride of Duke of Marlborough". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Churchill's Cousin Wed to Broker". The New York Times. 27 June 1953. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Marlborough's 2d Son Fiance of Gillian Fuller". The New York Times. 25 April 1965. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  22. ^ Times, Special to The New York (24 July 1965). "London Wedding For the 2d Son 0u Marlborough; Miss Gilllan Fuller Is His Bride in a Small, Informal Ceremony". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  23. ^ Times, Special to The New York (29 February 1968). "Lady Spencer-Churchill Divorced". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  24. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (27 February 1972). "Lady With a Famous Name Takes a Fling at Modeling". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Marlborough to Marry Mrs. Canfield". The New York Times. 19 January 1972. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  26. ^ "Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan Left Bulk of Estate to Granddaughter". The New York Times. 2 January 1965. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Godchildren". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2015.

External links[edit]

Peerage of England
Preceded by Duke of Marlborough
1934–1972 		Succeeded by
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