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She was born at 8 or 197 Amity Street , in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn, New York, (the exact address differs between sources). She was the eldest daughter of financier Leonard Jerome and his wife, Clara Hall . A noted beauty—an admirer said that there was "more of the panther than of the woman in her look"—Lady Randolph Churchill also worked as a magazine editor and bore a fashionable tattoo of a snake twined around her left wrist. Hall family lore insists that Jennie Jerome was part Iroquois, but no evidence of any Native American ancestry has yet been uncovered, despite much genealogical digging.

She married firstly, in 1874, at the British Embassy in Paris, FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., Lord Randolph ChurchillFor other meanings see Churchill (disambiguation). The Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill ( 13 February 1849 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. Lord Randolph was the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and Frances, daughter of the 3rd Marqu ( 1849Events January 23 Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her MD by the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York, thus becoming the United States' first woman doctor January 31 Corn Laws abolished in the United Kingdom February 14 In New York City, James Knox Polk be- 1895Events January events January 5 Dreyfus Affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. February events February 14 First showing of Oscar Wilde's last play The Importance of Being Earnes), third son of John Winston Spencer-Churchill, the 7th Duke of MarlboroughThe Dukedom of Marlborough (pronounced Maul''bruh") is a hereditary title of British nobility. The first holder of the title was John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650 1722), the noted English/British general, and indeed an unqualified reference to. By this marriage, she acquired the title "Lady Randolph Churchill." They had two sons: Winston Churchill ( 1874- 19651965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). Events January-February January 4 United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his " Great Society" during his State of the Union address. January 14 Prime Ministers of N) and John Strange Spencer Churchill ( 1880- 1947). As was the custom of the day, she played a limited role in her sons' upbringing, relying largely upon nannies such as Winston's beloved Mrs. Everest. Once Winston became an adult, however, she and he became good friends and strong allies, to the point where Winston regarded her almost more as a sister than as a mother. She was influential in top British social and political circles, and greatly helped his early career.

It has been long rumored that John Churchill's father was not Lord Randolph but instead was possibly an Irish nobleman, Col. John Strange Jocelyn (later 5th Earl of Roden, 1823- 1897), though that seems unlikely, given the similarity of names, which would seem a bit obvious under the circumstances. She did, however, have numerous lovers and admirers, including Count Charles Andreas Kinsky, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and King Milan of Serbia .

She married secondly, in 1900, George Cornwallis-West (born 1874), a captain in the Scots Guards. They separated in 1912 and were divorced in April 1914.

Jerome married thirdly, in 1918, Montague Phippen Porch ( 1877- 1964), a member of the British Civil Service in Nigeria. He married, in 1926, as his second wife, Donna Giulia Patrizi (died 1938), a daughter of the marchese Patrizi della Rocca .

Jerome (who preferred to be known as "Lady Randolph Churchill" despite her re-marriages, even though not strictly entitled to this style any longer) died after surgery to remove a gangrenous leg, and is buried in the Churchill plot at St. Martin's Churchyard , Bladon , Oxfordshire, England.

She has been portrayed on screen by Lee Remick in the television series, "Jennie", and by Anne Bancroft in the film, " Young Winston ".