Anthony Eden

12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977

The dashingly handsome Anthony Eden spent fifteen years as Winston Churchill’s deputy, serving most of that time as Foreign Secretary, a post he held three times. Born to a titled family, Eden had the impeccable pedigree of traditional British diplomats. He attended Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, spoke flawless French, as well as German, Persian, and Arabic. A veteran of World War I, he was staunchly anti-war, until he realized that Hitler could not be stopped by appeasement or public opinion. He had first served as Foreign Secretary between 1935 and 1938 under Prime Ministers Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain. He resumed the post in 1940 and held it throughout Churchill’s tenure as Prime Minister, until 1945. Though he would eventually succeed Winston Churchill as Prime Minister, his association with the Churchill family continued throughout his life. After his first marriage ended in divorce, Eden—later raised to the peerage in 1961 as the Earl of Avon—went on to marry Clarissa Spencer-Churchill, Winston Churchill’s niece, who is still alive and recently celebrated her 100th birthday.

Photograph: Wikimedia commons, public domain