The list of politicians who are also freemasons is staggeringly long and the great British Prime Minister was no exception. When he joined the order in 1901, it was all the rage, with the newly-ascended King Edward VII a former Grand Master. Churchill joined the Studholme Lodge, along with other MPs, knights and royalty and quickly became a Master Mason in the tradition of his ancestors before him. In fact, there was even a Churchill Lodge – the same one that Oscar Wilde managed to get himself expelled from. However, his Masonic career was shortlived, and he resigned from the lodge in 1911, after becoming First Lord of the Admiralty. This has led commentators to conclude that freemasonry wasn’t a vital part of Churchill’s success, although he did call in favors from his masonic contacts for years afterwards.