In Memoriam: Richard M. Langworth CBE (1941–2025)
It is with incalculable sadness that we announce the passing of Richard M. Langworth CBE, who died peacefully in the early morning hours of February 20th, 2025, at the age of 83.
Summarizing the life of a man who accomplished so much and positively affected so many is an impossible task. Fortunately, he documented much of it himself — 726 blog posts remain as a testament to his passion for history, automobiles, and the enduring legacy of Sir Winston S. Churchill. His work extended beyond this site with dozens of books, written or edited, and hundreds of published magazine and journal articles. Fittingly, his final blog post was titled Life and Living — an apt reflection of a man who lived with purpose and determination.
Alas, I am unqualified to provide even the smallest biography. His contributions about classic English and American cars are too numerous, and his dedication to Churchill’s legacy defies summary. I can only gesture towards his 2005 speech at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, in which he discusses Churchill’s The Dream. That speech exemplifies his best traits: passion for his work, encyclopedic knowledge, and a sense of humor that usually landed. But beyond his work, he was a father, a husband, and a friend.
I will always remember my father in his true habitat: in an office, hunched over a keyboard, typing with profuse concentration and surrounded by the hundreds of books, magazines, and other memorabilia that inspired and helped define him. His office wasn’t messy, just crammed full of meticulously organized knowledge with every reference at his fingertips.
How I wish to see him at home and happy once again, whether feet up and cigar in hand on the deck of his house in Eleuthera, or feeling proud and exhausted after returning from another bike ride, or grinning triumphantly after a decisive roll in Settlers of Catan. I’ll forever retain my fond memories of the room-sized model train set we built in the barn, or the tall plumes of snow firing from his tractor as he cleared the driveway in New Hampshire winters, or biking with him through the hills of California’s wine country. I’ll sorely miss sharing a dram of Scotch, a hearty snack, and recalling a scene from one of our favorite movies.
I have been, and always shall be, your friend. Live long and prosper, Dad.
— Ian Langworth
Richard M. Langworth is survived by his wife, Barbara; his son, Ian (Emily); and his grandchildren, Michael and Aiden.
51 thoughts on “In Memoriam: Richard M. Langworth CBE (1941–2025)”
The first article of Richard’s that I remember reading was “The New Nostalgia, Postwar Collectables Come of Age,” published in Automobile Quarterly in 1971. In it, Richard selected such Packard collectables worthy of preserving as the 1948-50 Custom Eights, and the 1953-56 Caribbeans. He even dared to suggest that the 1948-50 Station Sedans, 1951-56 Patricians, 1955-56 Four Hundreds, and the 1958 Hawks were collectable. This earned him the ire of a certain other Packard organization centered in Orange County, California. (He delighted in raising the hackles of the unwashed.)
The Packard Club’s vice-president of publications, Bud Juneau, hired Richard as editor of The Cormorant magazine in 1975. Richard transformed this quarterly from a very “clubby” publication to one worthy of comparison with the Packard Motor Car Company’s classic 1910-1931 effort. Richard told me that he wanted to change the name of the publication to The Packard Magazine to reflect the effort, but some old timers on the Packard Club Board wanted to keep the word Cormorant in the title. That didn’t stop him from trying. On the title page of issues #28 and #29 (Autumn and Winter 1982), he lifted The Packard script, as used in the 1910s, and installed it in 80-point type, above Cormorant Magazine in 18-point type. He told me that he planned to slowly fade out the words Cormorant Magazine, first as 80%, then 60%, and so on, down to 10% or so. Bud caught wind of Richard’s plans and put the kibosh on it.
I became editor of The Packard Cormorant in 2004, and Richard contributed several articles over the years. His final contribution will be a tribute to the late artist Ken Eberts, which will be published in a month or so.
Two personal notes: In 2001, during the Packard Club’s National Meet in Canandaigua, New York, Richard and Barbara invited a select group of members to an elegant dinner, about 20 miles from the host hotel. Richard paid for everything, and even provided the wine – which flowed freely. He regaled us with tales of Packards, Winston Churchill, and other long-forgotten subjects. As I do not partake of the grape, Richard had asked me to be the designated driver, handing me the keys to his new 2001 Saab 9-5. Nearing midnight, my wife Stella, Richard, Barbara and I piled back into the Saab. I am happy to report that the drive back to the host hotel was without incident.
In 2023, Stella and I were invited by Richard and Barbara to spend a weekend with them in New Hampshire, and to take home with us his collection of Packard photographs, literature, catalogs, etc. He wanted us to bring it to the Packard Proving Grounds, which we did last year — but not before I took a year to scan the 1,900 images from them. Richard gave me permission to use anything I want in The Packard Cormorant, which I am grateful for.
Thank you, Richard, for 40-plus years of friendship, support, and high standards that I endeavor to live up to.
I am so privileged to have known Richard even though only by email and Facebook. He was encouraging when I set up the ” Winston Churchill ” Facebook Group”. He submitted articles and comments. He often asked me to write articles which he also improved upon but still gave me the credit which is the mark of a true gentleman. We were amused by the fact that both our wives were called Barbara and our birthdays were a day apart. He introduced me to Randolph Churchill. My life has been greatly enhanced by his fellowship. I send my sorrowful condolences to Barbara and Ian and family.
I am very sad to hear of Richard’s passing and offer my sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. I first discovered Richard’s work back sometime in the early Eighties when my father started bringing home automotive history books and gave them to me. I still have these books and they were read cover-to-cover, often more than once. I was already a car nut, but these books helped foster my curiosity and fascination with everything related to the history of the automobile.
Though I never met Richard in person, I’ve worked with him on every issue of Collectible Automobile magazine since I took over the role as Editor-in-Chief a bit over two years ago. He wrote our Value Guide section and it was always interesting—and often unpredictable—to see what his opinions would be on a particular car.
Richard, I thank you for your skill, kindness, and assistance in the last few years. And for helping a kid from Kenosha, Wisconsin, find his passion in the automobile. You will not be forgotten.
I am exceptionally sad to learn of Richard Langworth’s death. In my role as Editor-in-Chief of Collectible Automobile magazine for 27.5 years, I “worked with” Richard all that time (we never did meet face-to-face; it happens sometimes in that business) as he provided us with the “Value Guide” section and wrote many distinctive feature articles—some of them award winners. The features always exhibited the outlook of an active and inventive mind. Even before I arrived at CA, like so many other fans of automotive history I was familiar with his estimable work in the field. It was a privilege to be able to call on his talents and collaborate with him. My sincerest condolences to the entire Langworth family.
There are myriad ways I will remember Richard, but the book on my desk is foremost in my mind today.
I have been a specialist dealer in Churchill material for nearly two decades. Increasingly, my business finds itself in the position of being asked questions about Churchill’s works and life. But the person of whom I still asked questions was Richard.
Winston Churchill’s life was rich and varied beyond reasonable conception. Naturally, it draws, even now, endless referential consideration and comment. In the world of people who claim to know Churchill’s life and work, there is presumption and then there is actual erudition. Beyond, there is a further difference between erudition and authoritative expertise. There is a still further level, for which I lack suitably venerable superlatives, and which I expect was occupied solely by Richard.
Among his many endeavors and accomplishments, Richard was a specialist dealer in Churchill material – a business from which he retired before I even began in the antiquarian book trade.
The book on my desk is not one of the many Richard authored or edited. Rather, it was one about which I had a question that I thought only Richard could answer. Asking him was on my to-do list, the book sitting on the corner of my desk as a reminder and prompt, when news of his death arrived.
There will be no answer to my question. I should put the book away, but there it remains, reminding me of the significance of his loss.
My sincere condolences to the family and close friends of Richard. I worked with Richard on a Sunbeam Tiger project and we joked with him about the little car not being as comfortable as it was when he was younger. “ It’s not the car, Richard” was often quoted by our cohorts. I really enjoyed his depth and our conversations. Definitely a person who was worth knowing.
All the best, Richard
Your friend, Randy Willett
Richard Langworth, your father, was an incredible man. His impact on our understanding of Churchill cannot be understated, and I will remain forever grateful for his help and kindness in my own work. He will be missed.
Lovely remarks, Ian!
Thousands share your loss; thank you for expressing our sadness.
–Christopher C Harmon
Decades before the internet, I took “the last onslaught on Detroit” to my high school English teacher, to prove to him that car books can qualify as literature. ( I had previously tried a far inferior car book) he was impressed noticeably by your father’s writing style. Now, I know why. Condolences on your loss, I still have that book, it’s one of my cherished possessions. I will have to read the Churchill books. I greatly appreciate Hillsdale. I know they will be excellent.
May God bless and keep you all always. What a great man! He will long be remembered. May his loved ones find peace through our loving Gid.
I’s very good story
My deepest condolences to the family and Hillside!! God Bless you all and may you all find some kind of peace and comfort from our gracious Heavenly Father at this difficult time.
We are honored to call Richard dear friend for many years. Phil served with him on the Board. We visited Richard and Barbara in 2 of their NH homes and they visited us. We co hosted his memorable speech at Pritzker Military Library. Richard went with us to a meeting once where he able to correct many attendees on WSC facts. He was one of a kind. Brilliant and gentle. Our friend! Farewell.
I was so saddened to learn of Richard’s passing. He was my good friend and for the past twenty-five years my editor at Finest Hour and The Churchill Project for every Churchill article I researched and wrote. Yahoo helpfully notified me this morning that we exchanged 824 emails over the past four years alone. I have been writing for one publication or another for fifty years and I have worked with many good editors, but hands down, he was the best. Richard was a great editor and always improved everything I sent him.
My last project with him—“Churchill’s Other Mentors” a three part series on two other men who, in addition to Bourke Cockran, served as mentors to the young Churchill—is a good example that illustrates why he was a great editor. It all began because Richard wouldn’t take no for an answer. I gave him a lemon and he turned it into lemonade.
I had agreed to his request to review Mirrors Of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him by David Reynolds. After reading a few select chapters, I couldn’t go on. The chapters were interesting enough, but these “leaders” played no role in “shaping” Churchill in the way he used the word. I wrote a long email to Richard apologizing for not being able to do a review and explained why none of these “leaders” like Hitler, Gandhi, Mussolini, Stalin et al could possibly have “shaped” Churchill in a way he would recognize.
This was Richard’s reply:
Here’s a better idea: I submit that you have reviewed the book already! If you will just give me a few of the things you disagree with … I will scoop up the rest of your email and produce a perfectly good review. I will run it by you if you wish, and send you 100 bucks for your trouble.
Which he did. At his suggestion, we then worked together to identify other people who “shaped” Churchill in the way he used the word. “Churchill’s Other Mentors” was the result.
I will really miss working with Richard. Rest in Peace.
To Barbara and Ian and family,
Our hearts go out to you with this sad and unexpected news of Richard’s passing. How lucky we were to have had lunch with Barbara and Richard earlier this winter. Always interested in hearing Richard’s views on politics, cars, life on Eleuthera and all things Churchill. And too, for the years as friends and neighbors in Contoocook. Many fond memories will always be with us: First, when we were newbies to Tyler District, before we even met, watching from afar as Barbara and Richard went fleeting across the Tyler Bridge-in one of their beautiful collectible vehicles, top down, Barbara’s scarf fluttering behind her…wondering if perhaps we had landed not just in new little NH town but in century past! Then there was New Year’s Eve, in front of the living room fireplace, champagne glasses and brand-new baby Ian being passed around. Finally, the time when Richard called us over to the house to see this new-fangled thing called a fax machine. We all stood around it, watching as Richard loaded a document and pushed the send button. And presto! Off the document went to England. And as the times have changed, we’ve always appreciated Richard’s dedication to all things historical. The Contoocook Depot restoration project is a living testament to Richard’s commitment and hard work towards keeping history alive! For that we are all the beneficiaries. Wishing you peace in the trying weeks and months ahead. Please let us know if there’s something we can do to help. Fondly, Chip and Cathy
Ian thank you for your beautiful rememberance of your Dad and my friend, colleague, mentor and source of information for more than 45 years. Richard is simply irreplaceable and was an international treasure who will be remembered as long as people are interested in history (be it Churchill or cars or the toils of mankind). Richard was generous with his time and critically helpful with articles and books (“Churchill in Punch”) I have written. Just a few weeks ago he agreed to write something for my new book on Churchill’s “My Early life” and we joked by email that there was no rush as he was going on vacation. Oh how I will miss our interactions!
I knew him as a U S Coast Guard officer at Bas Gloucester N J . I think that he had a KF meet at the base in either 1965 or 1966.
Finding the right words to express sorrow and to give comfort to survivors upon a death is beyond the ability of all but a few. Winston Churchill was one of the few and some of his finest writings have been after the death of a relative, friend or colleague.
Some twenty years ago I suggested to Richard than an article on this might be interesting. He agreed and four issues of the then Chartwell Bulletin in 2007/08 headed “Churchill on Death and Loss”, with much input from Richard, were published.
If Winston Churchill was alive today I can imagine what glowing words he would produce to give a fitting tribute to the irreplaceable Richard Langworth.
My condolences to you and your family Ian. Your father was an incredible authority on Churchill and extremely generous with his time, answering my (many) queries over the years. He will be greatly missed.
My condolences to you and your family Ian. Your father was an incredible authority on Churchill and extremely generous with his time, answering my (many) queries over the years. He will be greatly missed.
Ian and Barbara, Bob and I are sending our prayers to you, after working with Richard for many years we developed a friendship that will live strong in my memory for a long time it was an honor learning about Sir Winston and automobiles from a very knowledgeable person
I forgot to mention this because I suppose I was still in shock but Mr Langworth remains the foremost Churchillian of our times: https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/churchill-bulletin/bulletin-110-aug-2017/churchill-myth-reality/
He always replied to my incessant emails and was fortright in combatting calumny against the Great Man from both sides of the aisle.
It was due to his encouragement and efforts that our rag tag group of students began publishing. I sorely regret not having one last conversation, sadly I was convalescent.
For all this and more we shall be forever grateful. Rest in Peace sir, you’ll be sorely missed.
Once again I pray that God grant his family strength.
I came to have contact with Richard through my interest in cars – I was Rootes trained and subsequently employed, also, perhaps paradoxically, I had a special liking for the Triumph Renown. But early contact with him awakened in me — probably nascent from my upbringing in Britain in the 1940’s and 1950’s – an unabashed admiration of Winston Churchill (also, by extension, an interest in the career of Harold Macmillan). Although I was of no significant automotive industry standing, nor could I claim an academic background, whenever I was in touch with Richard, whether re cars or Churchill, he always responded promptly and was unfailingly courteous.
I also appreciated – and mentioned this to him a few times – how he brilliantly bridged what was too frequently a chasm between people with a passionate interest in automobiles, and those in the fields of history, literature and the arts who chose not to understand such interest, indeed often viewed such with thinly veiled condescension. With his scholarship and erudition Richard was surely the perfect foil to such pretentions.
I will miss him greatly.
My sympathy goes Mr. Langworth’s family and friends. Richard Langworth was the leading figure in the establishment of the Corvair Society of America. He was the first one to do something about making that club a reality. In 1969, he ran an ad in Car & Driver magazine, instructing people interested in a Corvair Club to get in contact with him. And he chaired the first organizational meeting on March 1970 at his home in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Allan Lacki, Board Member, Corvair Society of America.
Hi Ian, so very sorry to hear about your dad. I know what an empty space it left in my life and my mom’s.
Please express my sympathy to your mom. She will, need extra love and support from you at this most difficult time.
Sincerely
Margaret Dome, KateD Markowsky’s mom
All us Churchillians mourn Richard’s death. He kept the ICS and then The Churchill Project going and we have all benefited from his books and his generous answers to our queries.
This is devastating. I had the honour of conversing with Mr Langworth since 2016. Unfortunately I’ve been rather ill and thus inactive.
Still Mr Langworth always kept me in the loop and made sure to forward emails and his Christmas cards. I regret not having one last chat nonetheless.
I cherish the conversations we had and pray that God grant his family strength.
Rest In Peace Mr Langworth, you will be terribly missed.
So sorry to hear about Richard’s passing. My chief memory of him is the wonderful smell of his pipe tobacco when he visited my father in the 80s.
Ian, I have known your father for over 30 years, starting when I was a (good) customer of Churchillbooks. Over the last ten years we became closer, and our wives became good friends, taking two cruises together and enjoying winter visits to our Sonoma home, escaping for a few weeks, the bitter New Hampshire winter. Our shared interests (besides Churchill) included visits to Sonoma wineries for tastings, drives to the coast for fresh oysters and enjoying the local cuisine. His stroke occurred a day or two after his arrival at our home in Sonoma. I’m 87 and losing friends is an all too frequent event for me, but the loss of Richard has had a profound effect which will take a long time to heal.
To Richard’s passion for classic cars and the life and writings of Sir Winston Churchill should be added a generous enthusiasm for the UK, where he was a regular and welcome visitor. On several of such visits he spent time with our English family, and in the 1970s and ’80s we were privileged to be guests at the Langworth home in the USA. This was an enduring friendship, during which time we saw Ian W D grow up and engage our hearts. I can only simply say now that Richard was a very fine man and I am proud to have known him, not only on account of his manifold achievements, but because of his humanity.
Much of my automotive history knowledge is from reading his extensive writings on a wide variety of vehicles. For that, I am forever grateful. I did get to briefly meet him and express my admiration and appreciation at the Packard Centennial when I just happened to notice his name tag while he was walking into the Wednesday gathering of a 1K+ Packards at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio. He was very gracious and appreciated my thanks. R.I.P. Mr. Langworth, your history research and writings continue to be informative, appreciated and enjoyed.
My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Richard was a major contributor to Car Collector magaine from its start in 1978 and for many years there after. I considered him a great friend, as well as one of the greatest historians I have ever known. He and my dear late friend Bill Tilden were essentially joined at the hip and shared so many great experiences and adventures I’m jealous.
RIP, Dick.
Such incredibly sad news. Though I never met him his influence on my life was profound. I was given his 70 years of Chrysler book I believe for Christmas when I was in high school and it literally changed the course of my life and I have spent the rest of my years collecting Chryslers and referencing that book probably a thousand times. Rest in peace good sir and thank you for the positive impact and knowledge you shared with the world through your Publications! God’s peace to your family!
I never had the honor of meeting Richard Langworth, but, as a died-in-the-wool Willys Aero and Kaiser-Frazer fan and lover of old cars in general, I am very much in awe of him and his books and magazine articles, much of which I quoted in my own book about Willys Aeros. He was a giant among automotive historians, to which we all owe a great debt. Richard, please say hello to our old friend, Bill Tilden, when you see him and thanx for your work.
Very well done Ian.
How difficult a task to pay tribute to all your Dad has accomplished and the impact he has made on those of us who knew him. From discussions of history and politics, to cruises in that beloved Packard, or sharing a fine wine while floating across the lake in that quiet electric boat, we will remember him fondly. We are thankful to have known him.
Our deepest condolences to Barbara, you and your family.
ne obliviscaris do not forget . A true gentleman and a scholar. I will miss his many conversations and communication on history and baseball l
My sincerest condolences to the Langworth family. For 50 years come this Fall, I have been reading interesting articles authored by Richard – first, through the Packard Club publications and most recently through his weekly newsletters. Just 3 weeks ago we conversed via email and I always enjoyed his stimulating comments.
Warm thoughts and prayers in his memory and to his family.
It was such a great privilege and honor to consider Richard a friend as well as to have had the opportunity to share this planet with him. We both discovered an unending interest in Winston Churchill about the same time. Me, on the day Sir Winston passed into history (when I was 15) and Richard, the day Sir Winston’s body was carried through the city of the nation he swore to protect in wartime. I would not meet Richard until more than two decades later during the ICS AGM in Dallas in 1987. Never in the field of human knowledge about Sir Winston Churchill was so much owed by so many to one devoted man. Richard’s search of Churchill has touched all of us. He has been the voice of truth about the great man debunking myths, falsely-attributed quotations, and misunderstandings that have crowded the social dialogues for the past 60 years. When it came to Churchill, Richard Langworth embodied his generous, magnanimous spirit. While I am personally sad at his passing, I am tremendously thankful that he lived and became the model of the compleat CHURCHILLIAN. Farewell my friend.
I had the honor to attend the last Churchill tour that Richard and Barbara organized. Since that trip I stayed in touch with him by email for the past many years. I last spoke to him at a Hillsdale event. Richard accepted my inquiries and commentary with gentlemanly kindness and seriousness. He responded promptly to my messsges as if we were intimate colleagues. He even invited me to review a book on Churchill in the Whitehouse for which I was under qualified but he dressed up my offering and gave me the credit. We have lost an important voice in protecting the legacy of Churchill. RIP Richard.
I’m terribly saddened to read of your Dad’s passing. Although your loss is so profound and beyond words, your having shared your life with him is itself a Blessing that is beyond description. Moreover, through you father, you have walked with and in the shadow of the greatest man of modern history, warts and all. I can only hope that you may experience a long and happy life with all of your memories of your Dad, always, figuratively of course, by your side. Please accept my sincere condolences. From a devoted Churchill person and a fancier of the MGTC.
Ian, I am so sorry for your loss but he has left you with a lifetime of memories to share. I will have a glass of scotch tonight in his memory.
Dear Ian –
Your dad was a trans-Atlantic treasure. So very much of whatever I know about Churchill and his life came from spending time with him and reading his innumerable books and articles
He will be sorely missed and please accept my condolences to you, your mother and family.
Please accept my condolences. I greatly enjoyed your father’s perspective on many things. He was an elegant writer and will be missed.
Barbara & Ian: How sad the news of Richard’s passing. We have lost a friend and entertainer not to mention the best chauffeur in old cars. Richard was the most gutsy Pinochle partner I’ve ever had with the attitude of” there is always a chance my partner will pass me the right card”. He was a great man and may he rest in peace.
Bob and Rose Marie
What a giant! I am so sorry to hear of his passing. Blessings to the family.
Jim Schmuck
A great editor and writing mentor to me. I will greatly miss his frequent emails full of wisdom, mirth, and class.
I am so so sorry to hear of your dad’s passing. He wrote the most beautiful post about my dad when he passed and it’s something I treasure to this day. Your dad was an indescribable scholar, gear head, and human. We will miss him terribly but are so fortunate his legacy lives on in his writing. To quote the post he wrote about my father, “Scots Wha Hae, my old friend.”
What wonderful words about a wonderful man. Ian, I am so very sorry for your loss.
I am a staunch Winston Churchill fan and keen book collector, based in England, and was fortunate enough to have had a number of precious exchanges with your father. I always felt so honoured to hear from him. He was, and always will be, a rare gem. Kind, supportive, passionate and so very knowledgeable.
Please know that there are many thousands of people like me who will forever cherish your father, for the man he was and the legacy he has left, and who are in mourning today at this sad news.
A special man indeed. You must be so utterly proud of him.
RIP Richard, Sir. And my sincere condolences to you and all his lovely family. God bless you all. 🙏Xx
Richard’s contributions in “keeping the memory green, and the record accurate,” in the words of Mary Soames, are so many and magnificent that historians and admirers of Churchill will always depend on them. His friendship and generous good counsel helped launch my study of Churchill decades ago and have continued through all the years since, making my own work better. Judith, Helen, and I cherish the memories of wonderful moments with him, Barbara, and Ian.
Ian,
Richard and I served together on the Board of the International Churchill Society. We shared a view of the role of the Society and worked well together. His massive contribution to the Heroic Memory will be forever treasured. His encyclopedic knowledge of Churchill’s life will never be duplicated. He will be missed.
Winston Churchill and Richard Langworth enriched my life beyond belief. Richard, I am grateful for your support and direction. I depended on you to answer so many questions and you never failed me.