Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1894 and having private means, he soon devoted himself to writing. His first novel, The Celebrity, appeared in 1898. His next, Richard Carvel (1899), a novel of Revolutionary Maryland in which the hero serves as a naval officer under John Paul Jones, sold nearly 1,000,000 copies. Then followed another great success, The Crisis (1901), a novel of the American Civil War, in which the heroine is a descendant of Richard Carvel; and The Crossing (1904), which tells of Kentucky pioneers during the American Revolution. These romantic tales of America's past were Churchill's most popular works. His later work consisted chiefly of novels dealing with political, religious, or social problems. In 1899 he moved to New Hampshire, where he lived for almost 50 years. From 1903 to 1905 he served in the state legislature and in 1912 was a Progressive candidate for the governorship.