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CHURCHILL, Sir Winston Spencer (1874-1965). Autograph letter signed ('W') to Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman, Board of Trade, Whitehall Gardens, 1 June 1908, 2 pages, 8vo (very light surface soiling at upper margin).
CHURCHILL, Sir Winston Spencer (1874-1965). Autograph letter signed ('W') to Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman, Board of Trade, Whitehall Gardens, 1 June 1908, 2 pages, 8vo (very light surface soiling at upper margin). 'I send you a line of sincere friendship & good will on this most important evening of your life'; a warm letter from Churchill to Masterman on the eve of his marriage. Churchill regrets not having had time to have the teapot he is giving them engraved, but hopes Masterman will find a place for it in 'a corner in a cupboard'; the letter goes on to discuss their political collaboration, 'I hope we shall always be able to work together for the really significant things.' Charles Masterman (1874-1927), a brilliant academic, politician and author, became MP for West Ham in 1906, sitting on the back-benches during Campbell-Bannerman's government of 1905-8. A Liberal and Christian Socialist, Masterman fought for social reform, establishing a strong rapport with Churchill who appointed him under-secretary of the Local Government Board in 1908. By July, Masterman had been appointed under-secretary to the Home Office, and Churchill became his superior in 1910. He played a significant role in the development of domestic policies during 1911, and in 1914 was put in charge of Wellington House. Masterman married Lucy Blanche Lyttelton, Gladstone's great-niece and herself a formidable political force; they had become engaged at Westminster Abbey during a break in proceedings at the House of Commons.