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.