George Wilcken Romney
3rd United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office January 22, 1969 – January 20, 1973
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Robert Coldwell Wood
Succeeded by	James Thomas Lynn
43rd Governor of Michigan
In office January 1, 1963 – January 22, 1969
Preceded by	John Swainson
Succeeded by	William Milliken
Born	July 8, 1907(1907-07-08) Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico
Died	July 26, 1995 (aged 88) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lenore Romney
Children	Jane Romney, Lynn Keenan, G. Scott Romney, W. Mitt Romney
Profession	Automobile industrialist Politician
Religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and a politician. The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Robert Coldwell Wood ( Sept 16, 1923 &ndash April 01, 2005) was a American political scientist administrator, and professor James Thomas Lynn (born February 27 1927) was a US administrator. The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the US state of Michigan. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. John Burley Swainson ( July 31, 1925 - May 13, 1994) was a Politician from the U William Grawn Milliken (born March 26, 1922) is an American politician and served as the Moderate Republican Governor Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Bloomfield Hills is a City in Oakland County of the US state of Michigan, northwest of Detroit (18 miles from downtown Detroit See also Mitt Romney Lenore LaFount Romney ( November 9, 1908 &ndash July 7, 1998) was George Scott Romney is an American Republican politician and lawyer in the state of Michigan. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He was chairman of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962. American Motors Corporation (AMC was an American automobile company formed on January 14 1954 by the merger of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation He then served as the 43rd governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969. The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the US state of Michigan. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America.

Romney was a candidate for President in 1968, ultimately losing the Republican nomination to Richard Nixon. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Please DO NOT flip the colors -->The United States presidential election of 1968 was a wrenching national experience and included the assassination of Democratic candidate He is the father of former Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and the husband of former Michigan Senate candidate Lenore Romney. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4 2008 will be the 56th consecutive See also Mitt Romney Lenore LaFount Romney ( November 9, 1908 &ndash July 7, 1998) was George W. Romney was a kinsman of George Romney (1734-1802),^[1][2] a noted portrait painter in Britain during the last quarter of the 18th century. George Romney ( December 26, 1734 – November 15, 1802) Public collections of works Abbot Hall Art Gallery (Kendal

Romney was born to American parents in a Mormon colony in Mexico. The Mormon colonies in Mexico are settlements located near the Sierra Madre mountains in northern Mexico which were built by members of The Church of Jesus His family moved back to the United States when he was a child.

Background

Romney was born in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua to Gaskell Romney (1871-1955), an American of English ancestry, and wife Anna Amelia Pratt (1876-1926), born to a New England and Scottish father and a German mother. Colonia Dublán is one of the two surviving Mormon colonies in Mexico (the other being Colonia Juárez) located in the state of Chihuahua. The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as Romney's grandparents were polygamous Mormons who fled the United States because of the federal government's opposition to polygamy. The term polygamy (a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage" is used in related ways in Social anthropology, Sociobiology, and TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon ^[3] Anna's father Helaman Pratt was the son of early Mormon apostle Parley P. Pratt. Helaman Pratt ( 31 May 1846 &ndash 26 November 1909) was an early leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Parley Parker Pratt ( 12 April 1807 &ndash 13 May 1857) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Helaman had served as president of the Mexican mission in Mexico City before moving to Chihuahua State, and George's uncle Rey L. Pratt would be president of the Mexican mission, president in exile, during the Mexican Revolution and on into the 1930s. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Rey Lucero Pratt ( 11 October 1878 &ndash 14 April 1931) served The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 23 years as president When the Mexican Revolution broke out in late 1910, Romney's family went to Oakley, Idaho, and finally ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mexican Revolution (Revolución Mexicana was a major armed struggle that started with an uprising led by Francisco I Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Oakley is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. The population was 668 at the 2000 census. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Some would later ask questions about Romney's eligibility to run for President due to his birth in Mexico, as the circumstance of his birth and ambiguity in the constitution over the phrase "natural-born citizen. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Natural-born citizen is a term used in some countries to describe a certain kind of Citizenship in terms of a requirement for eligibility to serve as Head of state " Romney's parents married in 1895; they had three older sons, Maurice, Douglas, and Miles, and a younger son, Lawrence.

Romney started working in sugar beet fields at the age of eleven^[4]. He also learned the carpenters trade from his father. From 1926-1928, Romney served as a Mormon missionary in England and Scotland. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church is one of the most active modern practitioners of Missionary work with over 50000 full-time missionaries England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.

In the late 1920s, Romney followed his high school sweetheart, Lenore LaFount, to Washington, D.C., after her father had accepted a government position. See also Mitt Romney Lenore LaFount Romney ( November 9, 1908 &ndash July 7, 1998) was Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Romney became a speechwriter for Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Senator David I. Walsh, then moved on to become a lobbyist for Alcoa in 1930. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives David Ignatius Walsh ( November 11, 1872 - June 11, 1947) was a United States politician from Massachusetts. Alcoa Inc ( is the world's third largest producer of Aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. When LaFount, an aspiring actress, began earning bit roles in Hollywood movies, Romney arranged to be transferred to the western U. S. When LaFount had the opportunity to sign a three-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, Romney convinced her to return to Washington, and the couple married on July 2, 1931, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U They had four children: Lynn, Jane, G. Scott (divorced from Ronna Romney), and Mitt. George Scott Romney is an American Republican politician and lawyer in the state of Michigan. Ronna Romney née Stern (born September 24 1943) is a Michigan Republican politician and Radio talk show host

Automobile industry

Romney on the cover of Time Magazine

After nine years with Alcoa, Romney's career had stagnated, so he moved to Detroit with his wife and their two daughters to become the local manager of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA). During World War II, Romney headed the Automotive Council for War Production, which worked to optimize automotive companies' war production. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Romney also served as president of the Detroit Trade Association in 1941. From 1946-1949 he served as a U. S. employer delegate to metal trades industry conferences. ^[5]

He rose to managing director of the AAMA, becoming good friends with then-president George W. Mason. George Walter Mason ( March 12[[ 891]] - October 9[[ 954]] was an American industrialist When Mason became chairman of the manufacturing firm Nash-Kelvinator in 1948, he invited Romney along "to learn the business from the ground up" as his roving assistant. Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was the result of a merger between Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company ^[6] As Mason's protégé, Romney assumed executive assignment for the development of the Rambler. Rambler was an Automobile brand name used by the Thomas B Jeffery Company between 1900 and 1914 then by its successor Nash Motors from 1950 to 1954 Under the strategy of Mason, Nash-Kelvinator merged on May 1, 1954 with Hudson Motor Car to become the American Motors Corporation (AMC), and Romney became Vice-President of the firm. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand Automobiles in Detroit Michigan, from 1909 to 1954 American Motors Corporation (AMC was an American automobile company formed on January 14 1954 by the merger of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation A short time later, Mason suddenly died of acute pancreatitis and pneumonia—Romney was named AMC's Chairman and CEO. Pancreatitis is the Inflammation of the Pancreas. See also Acute pancreatitis and Chronic pancreatitis for more details Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal

Together with chief engineer Meade Moore, Romney elected to phase out the Nash and Hudson brands whose sales had been lagging. Also see Kelvinator and American Motors Corporation Nash Motors was an Automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha Wisconsin, in The Rambler brand was selected for development and promotion, as AMC pursued an innovative strategy: manufacturing compact cars exclusively. Rambler was an Automobile brand name used by the Thomas B Jeffery Company between 1900 and 1914 then by its successor Nash Motors from 1950 to 1954 A compact (North America small family (European or c-segment car is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini This approach led to unexpected financial success for AMC. In contrast with the racing success of the Hudson in the early 1950s, the Ramblers were frequent winners in the coast-to-coast Mobil Economy Run, an annual event on U. S. highways. As the other "Big Three" automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) introduced ever-larger models, AMC undertook a "dinosaur fighter" strategy, using its CEO as its spokesperson in advertisements and public appearances. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Chrysler LLC is an American Automobile manufacturer that has been producing Automobiles since 1925 Romney thus became one of the first high-profile media-savvy business executives. His focus on small cars as a challenge to AMC's domestic competitors, as well as the foreign-car invasion, was documented on the cover of Time magazine. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and In the earliest years of Rambler, the company had been on the verge of being taken over by corporate raider Louis Wolfson, but the company's resurgence made Romney a household name, and he capitalized on it by entering politics. Louis Elwood Wolfson ( January 28 1912 - December 30, 2007) was a Wall Street Financier and a major Thoroughbred horse

At the same time he was serving as President of American Motors, George Romney also presided over the Detroit Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which included not only all of Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, and the Toledo area of Ohio but also the western edge of Ontario along the Michigan border. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known Due to the stake covering part of Canada, he often interacted with Canadian Mission President Thomas S. Monson. Biography Monson was born on August 21, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah to G ^[7]

Political career

He led the Constitutional Convention that revised Michigan's Constitution from 1961-1962, then led a successful 1962 campaign for Governor of Michigan. The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. However, his running mate was defeated by the Democratic incumbent, Thaddeus Lesinski. Thaddeus John "T John" Lesinski, ( April 28, 1925 - 1996 was politician and judge from the U

After deciding to wait out the 1964 election, Romney announced on November 18, 1967, that he had "decided to fight for and win the Republican nomination and election to the Presidency of the United States. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. " Polls in 1967 showed him the leader among rank and file Republicans, especially among the "moderates. " Romney’s membership in the Mormon church was a factor in his campaign, with attention focusing on his church’s policy at the time of not allowing blacks to participate fully. ^[8]

In fact during his brief run for the White House, Romney was lent all of Nelson Rockefeller's top political aids from his 1964 Presidential campaign. Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller ( July 8, 1908 January 26, 1979) was the forty-first Vice President of the United States, the forty-ninth These people included; Hugh Morrow for speech writing, George Gilder founder of the Ripon Society, along with Henry Kissinger who tutored Romney on foreign policy in an attempt to bring his views closer to his and Nelson Rockefeller's. George F Gilder (born November 29, 1939, in New York City) is an American writer techno-utopian intellectual Republican Party Henry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923) is a German -born American bureaucrat diplomat and 1973

On August 31, 1967, Governor Romney made a statement that ruined his chances for getting the nomination. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ^[9] In a taped interview with Lou Gordon of WKBD-TV in Detroit, Romney stated, "When I came back from Viet Nam [in November 1965], I'd just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get. WKBD, channel 50 is an owned-and-operated station of the CW Television Network, based in Detroit Michigan. " He then shifted to opposing the war: "I no longer believe that it was necessary for us to get involved in South Vietnam to stop Communist aggression in Southeast Asia," he declared. Decrying the "tragic" conflict, he urged "a sound peace in South Vietnam at an early time. " Thus Romney disavowed the war and reversed himself from his earlier stated belief that the war was "morally right and necessary. "

The connotations of brainwashing, following the experiences of American prisoners of war (highlighted by the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate), made Romney's comments devastating to his status as the GOP front-runner. Brainwashing (also known as Thought reform or as Re-education) consists of any effort aimed at instilling certain attitudes and Beliefs For the novel by Richard Condon, see The Manchurian Candidate. The topic of brainwashing quickly became newspaper editorial and television talk show fodder, with Romney bearing the brunt of the topical humor. Republican Congressman (later U. S. Senator) Robert T. Stafford of Vermont sounded a common concern: "If you're running for the presidency," he asserted, "you are supposed to have too much on the ball to be brainwashed. Robert Theodore Stafford ( August 8, 1913 – December 23, 2006) was an American Politician from Vermont. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. "^[9]

The infamous 12th Street riot in Detroit took place on July 23, 1967. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. It continued until July 29th and eventually escalated to the point where president Lyndon B. Johnson called in federal troops, perhaps dimming Romney's chances for the presidency.

Romney announced his withdrawal as a presidential candidate on February 28, 1968. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At his party's national convention in Miami Beach, Romney finished a weak sixth with only fifty votes on the first ballot (44 of Michigan's 48, plus six from Utah).

It is notable that while Romney was born in Mexico, he was still considered to be a viable and legal candidate to run for office. His Mormon grandfather and his three wives fled to Mexico in 1886 but none of them ever relinquished their citizenship. Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common While the Constitution does provide that a president must be a natural born citizen, the first Congress of the United States in 1790 passed legislation stating that "The children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond the sea, or outside the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural-born citizens of the United States. Natural-born citizen is a term used in some countries to describe a certain kind of Citizenship in terms of a requirement for eligibility to serve as Head of state " Romney and his family fled Mexico in 1912 prior to the Mexican revolution. The Mexican Revolution (Revolución Mexicana was a major armed struggle that started with an uprising led by Francisco I

Secretary of HUD

After Nixon's election, Romney was named to the cabinet as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing He served in that office until the beginning of Nixon's second term in January 1973. During his four years at HUD, Romney slightly increased the amount of federally subsidized housing, but was prevented from expanding the concept to suburban areas. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California.

One of Romney's initiatives was "Operation Breakthrough" which was intended to increase the amount of housing available to the poor. ^[10]

Public service

Romney was known as an advocate of public service. At the first meeting of the National Center for Voluntary Action (NCVA), February 20, 1970, he said:

Americans have four basic ways of solving problems that are too big for individuals to handle by themselves. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. One is through the federal government. A second is through state governments and the local governments that the states create. The third is through the private sector - the economic sector that includes business, agriculture, and labor. The fourth method is the independent sector - the voluntary, cooperative action of free individuals and independent association. Voluntary action is the most powerful of these, because it is uniquely capable of stirring the people themselves and involving their enthusiastic energies, because it is their own - voluntary action is the people's action. As Woodrow Wilson said, "The most powerful force on earth is the spontaneous cooperation of a free people. " Individualism makes cooperation worthwhile - but cooperation makes freedom possible.

The George W. Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University honors the legacy left by Romney.

Retirement

For much of the next two decades, he was out of the public eye. He was however prominent within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holding the office of Regional representative of the Twelve. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known Regional representative of the Twelve, commonly shorted to regional representative or regional rep, was a priesthood calling in The Church

He re-emerged to the general public in 1994 when he helped campaign for his son, Mitt Romney, during the younger Romney's unsuccessful bid to unseat Senator Edward M. Kennedy in Massachusetts. Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (born February 22 1932 is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. That same year, Ronna Romney, Romney's ex-daughter-in-law (formerly married to G. Scott Romney), decided to seek the Republican nomination for the U. Ronna Romney née Stern (born September 24 1943) is a Michigan Republican politician and Radio talk show host George Scott Romney is an American Republican politician and lawyer in the state of Michigan. S. Senate from Michigan while continuing to use her married name. The former governor showed his displeasure by endorsing her opponent, Spencer Abraham, who went on to win the primary and the general election. Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952 in East Lansing Michigan) is a former United States Senator from Michigan.

The following year, Romney died of a heart attack at the age of eighty-eight while he was exercising on his treadmill, he was discovered by his wife Lenore but it was too late to save him. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply A treadmill is a piece of indoor sporting equipment used to allow for the motions of Running or Walking while staying in one place He died in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and was buried at the Fairview Cemetery in Brighton. Bloomfield Hills is a City in Oakland County of the US state of Michigan, northwest of Detroit (18 miles from downtown Detroit A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. Brighton is a city in Livingston County, the fastest growing county in the U

Romney was a patriarch for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See also Evangelist (Latter Day Saints In the Latter Day Saint movement, Patriarch (also called Evangelist) is an office of the Priesthood

The building housing the main office of the Michigan governor in Lansing is known as the George W. Romney Building. George W Romney Building - ("The Romney Building" is the Governor of Michigan 's main office named after George W

See also

• Pratt-Romney family
• George Romney presidential campaign, 1968
• Mitt Romney

Notes

References

• D. Duane Angel, Romney: A Political Biography (1967)
• Hess, Stephen and David S. Broder. The Republican Establishment: The Present and Future of the G. O. P. New York : Harper & Row, 1967.
• T. George Harris, Romney's Way: A Man and an Idea (1967)
• Clark R. Mollenhoff, George Romney: Mormon in Politics (1968)
• George W. Romney, Shirtsleeve Public Servant

External links

• George W. Romney Institute of Public Management
• Boston Globe Magazine, Lessons of the Father