George Romney

George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962. He served the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969. He was also the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973.

He is the father of former Governor of Massachusetts, 2012 Republican presidential nominee, and current United States Senator Mitt Romney. He was also the husband of former Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Lenore Romney. In 1968, he ran for president, but lost to Richard Nixon.

Biography
Romney was born to American parents living in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico on July 8, 1907. The events during the Mexican Revolution forced his family to flee back to the United States when he was a child. The family lived in several states and ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they struggled during the Great Depression. Romney worked in a number of jobs, served as a Mormon missionary in England and Scotland, and attended several colleges in the U.S. but did not graduate from any. In 1939 he moved to Detroit, Michigan.

Marriage and children
On July 2, 1931, he married Lenore Romney. They would later have four children, Lynn Romney, Jane Romney, Mitt Romney, and G. Scott Romney. His granddaughter from Scott Romney, Ronna Romney McDaniel, is the current chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

Death
Romney died on July 26, 1995 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan from a heart attack, aged 88. He was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Brighton, Michigan.

References

Other websites

 Boston Globe Magazine, Lessons of the Father
 Video of George W. Romney defending his success, NBC, 1967
George Romney photo essay

Category:1907 births
Category:1995 deaths
Category:American chief executives
Category:United States Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development
Category:Businesspeople from Detroit
Category:1968 United States presidential candidates
Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians
Category:Governors of Michigan
Category:Politicians from Detroit
Category:People from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Category:Politicians from Chihuahua (state)