But my family was not even close to the Churchill family in England which makes this a more remarkable story (at least to me).

I’m a “Junior” meaning my father was given the name by his parents in 1924.

When my father was born, Winston was not yet famous to Americans…he was a public official but not well known in America. (Quick, do you know anybody’s name in the UK government except the Prime Minister?)

Neither did my grandparents on a farm in Minnesota.

Car Nuts Unite

My grandfather was a “car nut” and named his son (my father) in honor of...a car!

“Winton” is the name of the first car that crossed the United States in 1904. At that time it was generally believed that cars would never be able to travel long distances on unimproved roads.

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In fact, at the time, one venture capitalist remarked that the big drawback to the automobile was you’d have to pave the entire network of dirt and gravel roads that crisscrossed the country.

Winton Motor Car Company

The manufacturer of that car, Winton Motor Car Company of Cleveland, OH was sold to a company that would become a division of General Motors and remnants of the original company exist today as one of GM’s specialized engine divisions.

Now you know...