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| order=3rd
| order=3rd
| title=[[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]]
| title=[[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]]
| term_start=[[January 22]], [[1969]]
| term_start=[[January 22]] [[1969]]
| term_end=[[January 20]], [[1973]]
| term_end=[[January 20]] [[1973]]
| predecessor=[[Robert Coldwell Wood]]
| predecessor=[[Robert Coldwell Wood]]
| successor=[[James Thomas Lynn]]
| successor=[[James Thomas Lynn]]
| order2=43rd
| order2=43rd
| title2=[[Governor of Michigan]]
| title2=[[Governor of Michigan]]
| term_start2=[[1963]]
| term_start2=1963
| term_end2=[[1969]]
| term_end2=1969
| predecessor2=[[John Swainson]]
| predecessor2=[[John Swainson]]
| successor2=[[William Milliken]]
| successor2=[[William Milliken]]
| birth_date=[[July 8]], [[1907]]
| birth_date=[[July 8]] [[1907]]
| birth_place=[[Chihuahua]], [[Mexico]]
| birth_place=[[Chihuahua]], [[Mexico]]
| death_date= {{death date and age|1995|07|26|1907|07|8}}
| death_date= {{death date and age|1995|07|26|1907|07|8}}
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| religion= [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
| religion= [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
}}
}}
'''George Wilcken Romney''' ([[July 8]], [[1907]] – [[July 26]], [[1995]]) was chairman of the [[American Motors Corporation]] from 1954 to 1962 and was elected three times as the [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[Governor]] of [[Michigan]] from 1963 to 1969. He was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, losing to [[Richard Nixon]]. He is also the father of [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[2008 Republican presidential candidates |Presidential candidate]] and former [[Governor of Massachusetts |Massachusetts Governor]] [[Mitt Romney]].
'''George Wilcken Romney''' ([[July 8]] [[1907]] – [[July 26]] [[1995]]) was chairman of the [[American Motors Corporation]] from 1954 to 1962 and was elected three times as the [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[Governor]] of [[Michigan]] from 1963 to 1969. He was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, losing to [[Richard Nixon]]. He is also the father of [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[2008 Republican presidential candidates |Presidential candidate]] and former [[Governor of Massachusetts |Massachusetts Governor]] [[Mitt Romney]].


==Background==
==Background==
Romney was born in the [[Mexican state]] of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]] to Gaskell Romney and Anna Amelia Pratt. Romney's grandparents were polygamous Mormons who fled the United States when the Mormon church disavowed polygamy; polygamy was a federal crime in the U.S. and Mexico, but ignored in remote Mexican villages.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_el_pr/romney_polygamy Romney's family tree has polygamous roots] ''Associated Press,'' February 24, 2007</ref> When the Mexican Revolution broke out in late 1910, Romney's family went to [[Oakley, Idaho]], and finally ending up in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]. (Some people would later ask questions about Romney being eligible for the presidency as a ''[[natural-born citizen]]'' when his birth was actually in Mexico.)
Romney was born in the [[Mexican state]] of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]] to Gaskell Romney and Anna Amelia Pratt. Romney's grandparents were polygamous Mormons who fled the United States when the Mormon church disavowed polygamy; polygamy was a federal crime in the U.S. and Mexico, but ignored in remote Mexican villages.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_el_pr/romney_polygamy Romney's family tree has polygamous roots] ''Associated Press,'' [[February 24]] [[2007]]</ref> When the Mexican Revolution broke out in late 1910, Romney's family went to [[Oakley, Idaho]], and finally ending up in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]. (Some people would later ask questions about Romney being eligible for the presidency as a ''[[natural-born citizen]]'' when his birth was actually in Mexico.)


In 1926, Romney spent two years as a [[Mormon missionary]] in [[England]] and [[Scotland]].
In 1926, Romney spent two years as a [[Mormon missionary]] in [[England]] and [[Scotland]].
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Romney took coursework at the [[University of Utah]] and [[George Washington University]], but never completed work on a college degree.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
Romney took coursework at the [[University of Utah]] and [[George Washington University]], but never completed work on a college degree.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}


In the late 1920s, Romney followed his high school sweetheart, [[Lenore Romney|Lenore LaFount]], to [[Washington, DC]] after her father had accepted a government position. Romney became a speechwriter for [[Massachusetts]] Democratic senator [[David I. Walsh]], then moved on to become a lobbyist for [[Alcoa]] in 1930. When LaFount, an aspiring actress, began earning bit roles in Hollywood movies, Romney was able to be transferred out West to continue the relationship. When LaFount had the opportunity to sign a three-year contract with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] studios, Romney convinced her to return to Washington, and married her on [[July 2]], [[1931]]. They had four children: Lynn, Jane, G. Scott and [[W. Mitt Romney|Mitt]].
In the late 1920s, Romney followed his high school sweetheart, [[Lenore Romney|Lenore LaFount]], to [[Washington, DC]] after her father had accepted a government position. Romney became a speechwriter for [[Massachusetts]] Democratic senator [[David I. Walsh]], then moved on to become a lobbyist for [[Alcoa]] in 1930. When LaFount, an aspiring actress, began earning bit roles in Hollywood movies, Romney was able to be transferred out West to continue the relationship. When LaFount had the opportunity to sign a three-year contract with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] studios, Romney convinced her to return to Washington, and married her on [[July 2]] [[1931]]. They had four children: Lynn, Jane, G. Scott, and [[W. Mitt Romney|Mitt]].


==Automobile industry==
==Automobile industry==
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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.
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.


After the war, Romney worked as an executive for the manufacturing firm [[Nash-Kelvinator Corporation]] under company head [[George W. Mason]], and played a key role in the development of the [[Rambler (car)|Rambler]]. When that firm merged on [[May 1]], [[1954]] with [[Hudson Motor Car]] to become the [[American Motors Corporation]] (AMC), Romney became the chairman of the combined company.
After the war, Romney worked as an executive for the manufacturing firm [[Nash-Kelvinator Corporation]] under company head [[George W. Mason]], and played a key role in the development of the [[Rambler (car)|Rambler]]. When that firm merged on [[May 1]] [[1954]] with [[Hudson Motor Car]] to become the [[American Motors Corporation]] (AMC), Romney became the chairman of the combined company.


Working with Mason and chief engineer Meade Moore, Romney elected to phase out the well-known but poor selling [[Nash Motors|Nash]] and Hudson brands in favor of the [[Rambler (automobile)#1958-1969|Rambler nameplate]], as part of a then-untried strategy of focusing on making [[compact car]]s exclusively, an approach that led to unexpected financial success for AMC. At the time of the decision, 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.
Working with Mason and chief engineer Meade Moore, Romney elected to phase out the well-known but poor selling [[Nash Motors|Nash]] and Hudson brands in favor of the [[Rambler (automobile)#1958-1969|Rambler nameplate]], as part of a then-untried strategy of focusing on making [[compact car]]s exclusively, an approach that led to unexpected financial success for AMC. At the time of the decision, 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.
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After deciding to wait out the 1964 election, Romney announced he was a candidate for president in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968 election]]. Polls in 1967 showed him the leader among rank and file Republicans, especially among the "moderates."
After deciding to wait out the 1964 election, Romney announced he was a candidate for president in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968 election]]. Polls in 1967 showed him the leader among rank and file Republicans, especially among the "moderates."


On 31 August 1967 Governor Romney made a statement that ruined his chances for getting the nomination.<ref name="johns">Andrew L. Johns; "Achilles' Heel: The Vietnam War and George Romney's Bid for the Presidency, 1967 to 1968" ''Michigan Historical Review'', Vol. 26, 2000 pp 1+</ref> 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." 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 the American prisoners of war (highlighted by the 1962 film ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]]'') made Romney's comments devastating to his status as the GOP front-runner. Republican Congressman Robert 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."<ref name="johns"/> Romney announced on 18 November 1967 that he had "decided to fight for and win the Republican nomination and election to the Presidency of the United States." He announced his withdrawal as a presidential candidate on 28 February 1968. At his party's national convention in Miami Beach, Romney finished a weak 6th with only 50 votes on the first ballot (44 of Michigan's 48 plus 6 from Utah).
On [[ August 31]] [[1967]] Governor Romney made a statement that ruined his chances for getting the nomination.<ref name="johns">Andrew L. Johns; "Achilles' Heel: The Vietnam War and George Romney's Bid for the Presidency, 1967 to 1968" ''Michigan Historical Review'', Vol. 26, 2000 pp 1+</ref> 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." 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 the American prisoners of war (highlighted by the 1962 film ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]]'') made Romney's comments devastating to his status as the GOP front-runner. Republican Congressman Robert 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."<ref name="johns"/> Romney announced on 18 November 1967 that he had "decided to fight for and win the Republican nomination and election to the Presidency of the United States." He announced his withdrawal as a presidential candidate on 28 February 1968. At his party's national convention in Miami Beach, Romney finished a weak 6th with only 50 votes on the first ballot (44 of Michigan's 48 plus 6 from Utah).


Following Nixon's election, Romney was named to the cabinet as [[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development|Housing and Urban Development secretary]]. He served in that office until the start of Nixon's second term in January 1973. During his four years, Romney slightly increased the amount of federally subsidized housing, but was prevented from expanding the concept to suburban areas.
Following Nixon's election, Romney was named to the cabinet as [[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]] secretary. He served in that office until the start of Nixon's second term in January 1973. During his four years, Romney slightly increased the amount of federally subsidized housing, but was prevented from expanding the concept to suburban areas.


==Public service==
==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:
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:


<blockquote>
<blockquote>
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The building housing the Michigan governor's main office is known as the [[George W. Romney Building]].
The building housing the Michigan governor's main office is known as the [[George W. Romney Building]].




==See also==
==See also==
*[[Pratt-Romney family]]
*[[Pratt-Romney family]]

⚫
==External links==
⚫
* [http://marriottschool.byu.edu/mpa George W. Romney Institute of Public Management]


==References==
==References==
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*George W. Romney, Shirtsleeve Public Servant
*George W. Romney, Shirtsleeve Public Servant


⚫
==External links==
⚫
* [http://marriottschool.byu.edu/mpa George W. Romney Institute of Public Management]
{{American Motors}}
{{American Motors}}
{{start box}}
{{start box}}

Revision as of 21:32, 11 May 2007

George Wilcken Romney
3rd United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office
January 22 1969 – January 20 1973
Preceded byRobert Coldwell Wood
Succeeded byJames Thomas Lynn
43rd Governor of Michigan
In office
1963–1969
Preceded byJohn Swainson
Succeeded byWilliam Milliken
Personal details
BornJuly 8 1907
Chihuahua, Mexico
DiedJuly 26, 1995(1995-07-26) (aged 88)
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionAutomobile industrialist; Politician

George Wilcken Romney (July 8 1907 – July 26 1995) was chairman of the American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962 and was elected three times as the Republican Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969. He was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, losing to Richard Nixon. He is also the father of Republican Presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Background

Romney was born in the Mexican state of Chihuahua to Gaskell Romney and Anna Amelia Pratt. Romney's grandparents were polygamous Mormons who fled the United States when the Mormon church disavowed polygamy; polygamy was a federal crime in the U.S. and Mexico, but ignored in remote Mexican villages.[1] When the Mexican Revolution broke out in late 1910, Romney's family went to Oakley, Idaho, and finally ending up in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Some people would later ask questions about Romney being eligible for the presidency as a natural-born citizen when his birth was actually in Mexico.)

In 1926, Romney spent two years as a Mormon missionary in England and Scotland.

Romney took coursework at the University of Utah and George Washington University, but never completed work on a college degree.[citation needed]

In the late 1920s, Romney followed his high school sweetheart, Lenore LaFount, to Washington, DC after her father had accepted a government position. Romney became a speechwriter for Massachusetts Democratic senator David I. Walsh, then moved on to become a lobbyist for Alcoa in 1930. When LaFount, an aspiring actress, began earning bit roles in Hollywood movies, Romney was able to be transferred out West to continue the relationship. When LaFount had the opportunity to sign a three-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, Romney convinced her to return to Washington, and married her on July 2 1931. They had four children: Lynn, Jane, G. Scott, and Mitt.

Automobile industry

File:George W Romney TIME.jpg
Romney on the cover of time

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.

After the war, Romney worked as an executive for the manufacturing firm Nash-Kelvinator Corporation under company head George W. Mason, and played a key role in the development of the Rambler. When that firm merged on May 1 1954 with Hudson Motor Car to become the American Motors Corporation (AMC), Romney became the chairman of the combined company.

Working with Mason and chief engineer Meade Moore, Romney elected to phase out the well-known but poor selling Nash and Hudson brands in favor of the Rambler nameplate, as part of a then-untried strategy of focusing on making compact cars exclusively, an approach that led to unexpected financial success for AMC. At the time of the decision, 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.

Political career

He led the Constitutional Convention that revised Michigan's Constitution from 1961 to 1962 and followed this up with a successful 1962 campaign for Governor of Michigan. However, his running mate was defeated by the Democratic candidate and incumbent, Thaddeus Lesinski. Romney was a strong supporter of civil rights and was generally considered a moderate Republican, perhaps a bit to the right of Nelson Rockefeller, but well to the left of Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan.

After deciding to wait out the 1964 election, Romney announced he was a candidate for president in the 1968 election. Polls in 1967 showed him the leader among rank and file Republicans, especially among the "moderates."

On August 31 1967 Governor Romney made a statement that ruined his chances for getting the nomination.[2] 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." 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 the 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. Republican Congressman Robert 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."[2] Romney announced on 18 November 1967 that he had "decided to fight for and win the Republican nomination and election to the Presidency of the United States." He announced his withdrawal as a presidential candidate on 28 February 1968. At his party's national convention in Miami Beach, Romney finished a weak 6th with only 50 votes on the first ballot (44 of Michigan's 48 plus 6 from Utah).

Following Nixon's election, Romney was named to the cabinet as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development secretary. He served in that office until the start of Nixon's second term in January 1973. During his four years, Romney slightly increased the amount of federally subsidized housing, but was prevented from expanding the concept to suburban areas.

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. 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, but re-emerged 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.

That same year, Romney's ex-daughter-in-law, Ronna Romney, decided to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate from Michigan while continuing to use her married name. (She was formerly married to the governor's other son, G. Scott Romney.) The former governor showed his displeasure by endorsing her opponent, Spencer Abraham, who went on to win the primary and the general election.

The following year, Romney died of a heart attack at the age of 88, while exercising on his treadmill in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Romney served as a patriarch for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until his death.

In 2002, Mitt Romney, also a Republican, was elected to the office of Governor of Massachusetts. Mitt Romney declared his intent to run for President of the United States in 2008.

The building housing the Michigan governor's main office is known as the George W. Romney Building.

See also

References

  1. ^ Romney's family tree has polygamous roots Associated Press, February 24 2007
  2. ^ a b Andrew L. Johns; "Achilles' Heel: The Vietnam War and George Romney's Bid for the Presidency, 1967 to 1968" Michigan Historical Review, Vol. 26, 2000 pp 1+
  • 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
Preceded by Governor of Michigan
1963–1969 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
1969–1973 		Succeeded by
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