Meet The American Woman Whose Marriage Changed Europe

Remember how Cora in Downton Abbey was American? This is based on a real phenomenon known as the Dollar Princesses – American heiresses who married British noblemen for status in exchange for a hefty dowry. This trend was started by American socialite Jennie Jerome Churchill, whose eldest son would eventually become the most famous and influential Prime Minister in British history.

The First Dollar Princess

In the Gilded Age, New York high society consisted of two classes: old money, also known as the knickerbockers, and new money, also known as the nouveau riche. The old money families were distinguished because their money had been in the family for generations, similar to the British aristocracy, whereas the new money families had recently earned their money in the railroad industry, construction, trade, or investing (basically, they were merchant class people trying to break into the social elite class with their money).

Those with old money had a tendency to look down on the nouveau riche class, making it nearly impossible for them to thrive in high society, forcing many nouveau riche families to relocate to Europe to advance their social status. The Jeromes were one of the first families to do so, and it resulted in one of their daughters, Jennie, catching the eye of an English lord in the summer of 1873.

Born in Brooklyn in 1854, Jennie was one of the three daughters of businessman and financier Leonard Jerome and socialite Clarissa Jerome. Despite the wealth Leonard accumulated on Wall Street, the Jeromes had a hard time fitting in with high society due to their nouveau riche status. This infuriated Clarissa, who was determined to launch her daughters into high society, and she made the fateful decision to move herself and her daughters to Europe in the late 1860s. Jennie and her sisters all grew up to be both beautiful and well-educated, which would pay off when they attended the same ball as Lord Randolph Churchill, one of the sons of the seventh Duke of Marlborough.

19-year-old Jennie was quick to catch 24-year-old Randolph’s eye at a ball outside London, and the pair fell in love in less than a week. Talks of marriage soon followed, and though it was a love match, there was also a financial incentive on Randolph’s side. The Churchills were facing financial trouble, and a hefty dowry would be the easiest solution to their troubles. After weeks of both the Churchills and the Jeromes arguing over the match, they realized that the marriage was advantageous to both sides (plus the couple was in love, but that didn’t seem to matter very much), and the engagement was made official.

The two married in April 1874 and went on to have two sons, Winston and John. Despite the promising beginnings of the marriage, it was plagued by infidelity on both sides (including Jennie’s alleged affair with Queen Victoria’s eldest son and Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII), which resulted in Randolph dying of syphilis in 1895. Jennie married two more times, had numerous affairs, and became a writer before she died in 1921, but her lasting legacy would be the legacy of her eldest son, Winston Churchill.

How Jennie’s Son, Winston Churchhill, Changed the World

You’ve likely heard of Winston Churchill and how he bravely led the United Kingdom as Prime Minister throughout World War II, but you likely didn’t know that his mother was American and the influence she had on his life. Though his father, Randolph, was also a politician, he was inspired by his mother’s suffragette activism and carefree attitude.

Jennie never cared what the public thought of her, a trait that Churchill inherited and used to his advantage during his political career. He was known for having a brash and controversial personality, but these traits are what made him such a good leader. Though his list of accomplishments is long, he’s mainly remembered for his bravery and leadership during World War II. 

There was no rulebook on being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during a world war, but Churchill united the United Kingdom to help defeat the Nazis. He had studied Hitler prior to the war and warned the public about his extremism before the war broke out, which armed him with the knowledge that would ultimately help the Allies defeat Nazism.

Churchill’s leadership went beyond the United Kingdom, as he worked with other Allied leaders like Roosevelt and Stalin to help defeat the Nazis, but it’s clear that Churchill had the most impact on the defeat from the homefront. It’s hard to say whether or not the Allies would have defeated Hitler and the Nazis without Churchill, linking Jennie’s legacy to being the mother of one of the most influential men in defeating Hitler.

American Dollar Princesses Changed British History

Jennie Jerome Churchill also started the trend of the Dollar Princesses, where wealthy American women would marry European (mostly British) noblemen in desperate need of money. Some were love matches, and some were disasters, but this trend would influence British history down to today. Two other famous Dollar Princesses were Consuelo Vanderbilt and Frances Work.

Consuelo Vanderbilt is probably the most famous Dollar Princess in history. Like Jennie Jerome, she came from a nouveau riche family, and her mother wanted her to advance the family’s social status by marrying her off to a nobleman. Consuelo married Charles Spencer-Churchill, the ninth Duke of Marlborough in 1895, and it’s widely believed that she cried the morning of the wedding because she was unhappy with the match.

Unfortunately, Consuelo’s marriage was loveless – she had been in love with another man and Charles only married her because her dowry secured his estate. Despite her unhappy marriage, Consuelo thrived as a philanthropist and lived a happy life after her divorce from Charles in 1921. She remarried once and died in 1921 at 87.

Another famous Dollar Princess is Frances Work, who married James Roche, third Baron of Fermoy, in 1880. She’s more famous for the lineage she created, as she’s the great-grandmother of Princess Diana. Frances’ marriage will eventually result in a British monarch with an American heritage (when William eventually ascends the throne) and will continue for generations to come.

Closing Thoughts

Though Jennie Jerome Churchill never saw her son, Winston Churchill, change the world as Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II, Europe would likely be a very different place if she had never married Lord Randolph Churchill. Her marriage also started the trend of the Dollar Princesses, which means we likely wouldn’t have Princess Diana, Prince William, or Prince Harry if it weren’t for Jennie’s influence. She might be overshadowed by her son, but it’s no secret that Jennie Jerome Churchill’s marriage changed Europe forever.

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