Summary ofHero of the EmpireFrom Candace MillardThe Boer War, a Daring Escape,and the Making of Winston ChurchillBy Summary StationWinston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born on 30 November 1874. He was an heir of a noble family of the Dukes of Marlborough. His ancestor George Spencer, a member of the aristocratic Spencer family, was proud of his consanguinity with John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, so he has decided to choose Spencer-Churchill as his surname when he took the title of Duke of Marlborough in 1817.Winston Churchill's father Lord Randolph Churchill was a politician and the third son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough. Following the example of his father, Winston preferred to be known as "Churchill". His mother was also born in a respected family, being a daughter of Leonard Jerome, a millionaire from the USA. Lady Randolph Churchill (née Jennie Jerome), gave birth to her son in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, two months before the expected date.