In a war that hammered away and left families lying awake at night counting the seconds between sirens, John Gilbert Winant, America’s ambassador to Britain, kept looking for ways to bring a little light into all that darkness. As Thanksgiving approached, thousands of young Americans scattered across London felt the distance from home: no familiar table with family, just a...

During his years in wartime London, U.S. Ambassador John Gilbert Winant absorbed the suffering around him. He was known for walking the streets during the Blitz, talking with ordinary people, sharing in their daily fears, helping to strengthen their resolve. Londoners remembered him for his compassion and accessibility. Historians consistently note how deeply he internalized the city’s suffering. He carried...

John Gilbert Winant was one of the rarest of figures in public life: a three-term Republican governor from New Hampshire whose leadership wasn’t calculated but instinctive; a public servant who treated humility as a strength, and a diplomat who put principle ahead of political convenience. Yet for all the steadiness he gave to others, he struggled to find a place...

In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” At the time, the country was in the depths of the Great Depression, and fear was everywhere—fear of poverty, fear of failure, fear of the unknown. Roosevelt knew that fear, if left unchecked, could paralyze a nation. More importantly, he understood...

In a Thanksgiving address given in 1944 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and in the presence of  Winston Churchill, United States Ambassador John Gilbert Winant concluded his speech with these words: “We are grateful that you have joined us on this day of Thanksgiving because, through common sacrifice and a sustaining Providence, we have been able together to preserve our...

I first heard about John Gilbert Winant several years ago in Concord, New Hampshire, while I was teaching a class on ethics. My co-captain, Professor Stephen Ambra, spoke admiringly of the three-term Republican governor of the state. However, the most compelling part of Winant’s story unfolded during his time abroad, serving as the U.S. Ambassador to England. In 1941, Democrat...

Sometimes, those who have contributed mightily to their country slip below history’s radar. John Gilbert Winant was one of them. After serving two terms as the Republican Governor of New Hampshire, Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt tapped Winant to be the first head of the Social Security Board. While Republican colleagues called him “a Republican New Dealer,” Winant’s work so impressed...

Embed from Getty Images In 1941, as President Roosevelt remained reluctant to enter the war in Europe, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was dining with U.S. Ambassador John Gilbert Winant discussing England’s fate. Listening to the BBC, the radio station announced that the Japanese had attacked American ships at Pearl Harbor. Within minutes, Churchill received a phone call from FDR confirming...