I realise that this probably belongs in the pre-19th century forum but since Churchill's political career didn't start until the 20th century I'll post it here. Having gotten the idea from Churchill joking to Congress he might have been president, WI Churchill's father and mother had reversed nationalities? With an Amercican father would Churchill have pursued a successful career in politics? Let's say for arguements sake that Churchill's father in this TL had a career mirroring Churchill's father in OTL and Churchill retains most of his personality traits. What would the affects on America be? Your thoughts?
President Winston Churchill?
- Thread starter DAv
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Personally, I believe it would be more interesting to discuss the possibility of Churchill pursuing a political career and subsequent election as President of the United States following election defeat in the 45 British elections.
Without serious Constitoutional (sp) rewriting, that would have been to all intents and purposes, impossible.
Anaxagoras
Banned
Without a POD involving him being born in America, he could not have been President because of the Constitution.
Yes, I realise that - but IMO, it would have been interesting if, given his status, a serious movement formed to change the constitution - or at least allow the constitution to be amended and allow him to run under 'special circumstances'. Obviously that's something to discuss in further detail though.
What if he had been born in the US while his parents were visiting or something odd like that?
That gets the "native-born" part out of the way.
That gets the "native-born" part out of the way.
Or, have his parents settle in the U.S.
Are we assuming that Churchill joins the Republican Party?
A person with one American parent is eligible for the Presidency IIRC, provided that the parent is still a U.S. citizen at the time of the child's birth.
I did this same exact thread some time ago.
By the way, being born in the United States is not the only way to be a natural born US citizen. If either of your parents is a US citizen at the time of your birth, then you are a natural born US citizen, regardless of where you are born. The Constitution says that to be President you must be a natural born US citizen, it does not say you must be physically born in the USA. Winston Churchill's mother never gave up her US citizenship, I believe she had dual citizenship after her marriage and was still a US citizen when Winston was born. Thus, through his mother Winston Churchill could have claimed US citizenship and had he done so he would have been a natural born US citizen and eligable to be President of The United States.
Churchill himself even acknowledged this in a speech before the US Congress when he said that had his parentage been reversed and his mother been Brittish and his father been American he might be addressing Congress in a very different capacity.
There is no doubt in my mind that had Churchill come to the USA and claimed his US citizenship through his mother, he would have become involved in US politics, run for and served in elective office, and would quite probably been elected President perhaps even during WWII.
That leaves open the question of who would have become Brittish Prime Minister after Nevile Chamberlin, and how would that Prime Minister have handled the Brittish end of things in WWII.
We know what Winston Churchill was like as Prime Minister of Great Britain and the sort of Brittish Prime Minister he was. From that we can pretty much tell what kind of President he would have made and what he would have been like as President of The United States.
In the late 1800's Churchill was a newspaper correspondent. That job could have brought him to the USA where he could have claimed his US citizenship and gotten into American politics even serving in elective political office. Had he done so, I'm sure Winston Churchill would have been a very influential and also formidible presence in US politics.
By the way, being born in the United States is not the only way to be a natural born US citizen. If either of your parents is a US citizen at the time of your birth, then you are a natural born US citizen, regardless of where you are born. The Constitution says that to be President you must be a natural born US citizen, it does not say you must be physically born in the USA. Winston Churchill's mother never gave up her US citizenship, I believe she had dual citizenship after her marriage and was still a US citizen when Winston was born. Thus, through his mother Winston Churchill could have claimed US citizenship and had he done so he would have been a natural born US citizen and eligable to be President of The United States.
Churchill himself even acknowledged this in a speech before the US Congress when he said that had his parentage been reversed and his mother been Brittish and his father been American he might be addressing Congress in a very different capacity.
There is no doubt in my mind that had Churchill come to the USA and claimed his US citizenship through his mother, he would have become involved in US politics, run for and served in elective office, and would quite probably been elected President perhaps even during WWII.
That leaves open the question of who would have become Brittish Prime Minister after Nevile Chamberlin, and how would that Prime Minister have handled the Brittish end of things in WWII.
We know what Winston Churchill was like as Prime Minister of Great Britain and the sort of Brittish Prime Minister he was. From that we can pretty much tell what kind of President he would have made and what he would have been like as President of The United States.
In the late 1800's Churchill was a newspaper correspondent. That job could have brought him to the USA where he could have claimed his US citizenship and gotten into American politics even serving in elective political office. Had he done so, I'm sure Winston Churchill would have been a very influential and also formidible presence in US politics.
It depends on the man, what he is like, how he conducts himself and his life and his political life. There are a few members of Congress I believe who were not born in the USA but are naturalized US citizens, and Americans have voted for them to serve in Congress.
I think if someone like a Winston Churchill who was a natural born US citizen and had been born and grew up in England, come here, claimed his US citizenship and had gotten elected to The House Of Representatives, then to The Senate, maybe served in a high ranking cabinet post, and then ran for President, yes,I think Americans might well elect someone like that as President.
So if Winston Churchill had claimed his natural born US citizenship, worked his way up through political office here in the US, yes I think Americans would have elected him President and at that time probably by a fairly wide margin.
Congress is not the Presidency. The Presidency and Vice-Presidency are the only offices in the U.S. that require natural-born U.S. citizenship for anyone seeking these posts. Immigrants who have been seven years a citizen can be Senators, and those five or more years a U.S. citizen can be Representatives.
Teddy Roosevelt
You do know that Teddy Roosevelt did not think very highly of Churchill? He'd been rude.
The "Born in the US" bit is interesting, because technically, that means Boris Johnson could become President of the United States
Oh come on, the USA may have done some bad things that not even they deserve that
Max Sinister
Banned
A famous German politician who was mayor of Munich for a long time, but not born in Bavaria, said "a horse born among cows is still a horse".