A Dollar Princess referred to an American heiress, often from newly wealthy families, who married a title-rich but cash-poor British nobleman. To find these dukes and earls, American mothers and daughters visited London during the social season with the aid of guides such as the “Titled Americans,” which listed recent Anglo-American matches along with the names of high-born, still-single men. A quarter of the House of Lords had some American connection by the end of the 19th century. In 1895 alone, nine British noblemen, including a duke, an earl, and three barons, married American women.

Jennie Jerome, whose marriage helped spark the trend, was covered in tattoos when Lord Randolph Churchill presented her to his parents and announced their engagement. They had only known each other for three days, and his parents were horrified that he would want to marry an American socialite instead of a British noblewoman. Then they realized that her dowry was enormous – over four million dollars in today’s money – and begrudgingly approved of the marriage.

The couple married in 1874, and the new Lady Randolph Churchill gave birth to a son that she named Winston. That’s right, the man who led Britain against the Nazis during World War II was half-American.