Winston Frederick Churchill Guest (May 20, 1906 – October 25, 1982), was an Anglo-American polo champion and a member of the

Guest family Guest or The Guest may refer to: * A person who is given hospitality * Guest (surname), people with the surname ''Guest'' * USS ''Guest'' (DD-472), U.S. Navy ''Fletcher''-class destroyer 1942–1946 * Guest appearance, guest actor, guest star, et ...

of Britain.

Early life

Winston Frederick Churchill Guest was born on May 20, 1906, to

Frederick Guest Frederick Edward "Freddie" Guest, (14 June 1875 – 28 April 1937) was a British politician best known for being Chief Whip of Prime Minister David Lloyd George's Coalition Liberal Party, 1917–1921. He was also Secretary of State for Air be ...

(1875–1937), a British politician, and Amy Phipps. His mother was the daughter of Henry Phipps, Jr., an American businessman and philanthropist. His paternal grandfather was

Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne, 2nd Baronet, DL (29 August 1835 – 22 February 1914) was a British industrialist and a member of the prominent Guest family. Early life Ivor Bertie Guest was born at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, the s ...

(1835–1914), a Welsh industrialist. His great-grandfather was

John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (2 June 18224 July 1883), styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and noblem ...

, making him a first cousin once removed of British Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

. His brother,

Raymond R. Guest Raymond Richard Guest Order of the British Empire, OBE (November 25, 1907 – December 31, 1991) was an American businessman, thoroughbred race horse owner and polo player. From 1965 to 1968, he was United States Ambassador to Ireland. Early l ...

(1907–1991), was the

United States Ambassador to Ireland The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...

from 1965 to 1968, who married three times. In 1918, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, his mother turned over their London home, Alford House on

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...

, to be used by the American Red Cross as a hospital for the American Navy. In 1919, his parents entered into a separation agreement and his mother received custody of him, thereafter living in the United States. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1927 and received a law degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1942.

Career

After graduating from

Columbia University Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestig ...

, he was appointed law secretary for Joseph C. Baldwin III, minority leader of the Board of Alderman. He, along with Alexander Hamilton, a descendant of Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary, was paid $1 a year for his work.

Polo

Guest was a member of the international team of the United States which won the

International Polo Cup The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the United States and United Kingdom. The match has varied in length over the years ...

in 1930, 1936 and 1939. He was the only player in the history of the Indoor Polo Association with the top rating of ten goals. In 1934, while being the highest rated player of indoor polo, he was elected the head of Indoor Polo Association. Along with him came

Elbridge T. Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 18 ...

as executive vice president and Michael G. Phipps as vice president.

Personal life

In 1934, he married Helena Woolworth McCann, daughter of Charles E. F. McCann and Helena Maud Woolworth McCann (1878–1938). Her maternal grandfather was F. W. Woolworth, the American business magnate. She attended Miss Hewitt's School, Miss Chapin's School, and graduated from

Miss Porter's School Miss Porter's School (MPS) is an elite American private college preparatory school for girls founded in 1843, and located in Farmington, Connecticut. The school draws students from 21 states, 31 countries (with dual-citizenship and/or residence), ...

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles ...

. They subsequently divorced in 1944. With her, his two sons: * Winston Alexander Guest (b. 1936), who married Helen Mane Elizabeth Shields in 1967. * Frederick Edward Guest II (1938-2021), who married Stephanie Wanger (b. 1943), daughter of

Walter Wanger Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer active from the 1910s, his career concluding with the turbulent production of '' Cleopatra,'' his last film, in 1963. He began at Para ...

and

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

, in 1963. They divorced and he married Carole Baldoff in 1988. In 1947, he married Lucy Douglas Cochrane (1920-2003), later known as C. Z. Guest. With her, he had a son and a daughter: * Alexander Michael Douglas Cochrane Guest (b. 1954), who married Elizabeth Geacintov, a daughter of Dr. Cyril Geacintov (a former president of

Russian Nobility Association in America The Russian Nobility Association in America is a non-political, not-for-profit organization in the United States of America. History The Russian Nobility Association in America was founded in New York City in 1933. Its original efforts were to pr ...

), in 1986. * Cornelia Cochrane Churchill Guest (b. 1963), a debutante. In 1947 Guest leased historic

Gardiners Island Gardiner's Island is a small island in the Town of East Hampton, New York, in Eastern Suffolk County. It is located in Gardiner's Bay between the two peninsulas at the east end of Long Island. It is long, wide and has of coastline. The isl ...

from its 15th owner,

Sarah Diodati Gardiner Sarah (born Sarai) is a Patriarchs (Bible)#Matriarchs, biblical matriarch and Prophet, prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her ...

. Guest used it to host hunting parties, inviting high profile guests, like

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

and

Dag Hammarskjöld Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld ( , ; 29 July 1905 – 18 September 1961) was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 196 ...

. On January 24, 1947, Van Campen Heilner was staying in the mansion, when a fire swept through the island's 137 Georgian mansion. Heilner survived by jumping out a window. The mansion was a complete loss. He died on October 25, 1982, at

Nassau Hospital Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village". ...

References

External links