October 1, 2026

by Brian Krapf

UNVEILING OF PLAQUE AT LADY RANDOLPH’S BROOKLYN BIRTHPLACE

                                                             CHURCHILL IN AMERICA

On 26 March 1952, a plaque was unveiled to mark the birthplace of Lady Randolph Churchill at the Jerome family’s Brooklyn brownstone residence at 426 Henry Street. The ticket shown here allowed entry into the event’s reserved section. Lady Randolph’s son, Prime Minister Churchill, did not attend this ceremony, but sent his daughter, Sarah Churchill, as his family’s representative. The creation of the plaque and its publicized unveiling were planned and underwritten by the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper with the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement. Sarah and the Brooklyn borough president, John Cahomore, unveiled the plaque to the applause of a crowd of 1000 people.

Prime Minister Churchill visited Lady Randolph’s Brooklyn birthplace on 7 January 1953 and formally praised the plaque. Accompanied by New York Mayor Vincent Impelliterri, he stood in front of the Henry Street residence and proclaimed, “I am most grateful to those who have put up this tablet in commemoration of my mother, who was born here in Brooklyn.” Visiting the plaque was only part of Churchill’s short, three-day visit to the United States. While in New York City, the Prime Minister met privately with President-elect Eisenhower at Bernard Baruch’s home and discussed Anglo-American unity, the Korean War armistice and Britain’s exclusion from the ANZUS Treaty. He also traveled to Washington, DC and met with retiring President Truman. While there, he was the guest of honor at a dinner at the British embassy where he praised Truman’s presidency. Churchill departed 9 January on President Truman’s aircraft, The Independence, for a vacation and painting trip in Jamaica.

This story has an interesting twist. Lady Randolph was actually born a few blocks away from the Henry Street house, at the Jerome family’s prior residence at 197 Amity Street. The misidentification of the correct birthplace arose when a Brooklyn records clerk confirmed the Jerome family had indeed resided at the Henry Street address but misread Lady Randolph’s birthdate. Despite the factual error, the plaque has remained on the wrong house since its unveiling and dedication in 1952.