Romney family
Members of the Romney family at 2012 RNC
Current regionUnited States
Place of originDalton-in-Furness
Connected familiesMatheson family, Pratt family, Smith family

The Romney family is prominent in U.S. politics.[1] Its family members include George W. Romney (1907–1995), the 43rd Governor of Michigan (1963–1969), and his son, Mitt Romney (born 1947), who was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007), the 2012 Republican U.S. Presidential nominee, and is currently a U.S. Senator for Utah. George W. Romney's father was Gaskell Romney[2][3][4][5] (1871–1955), and his mother was Anna Amelia Pratt (1876–1926).[6][7] Anna's grandfather was the renowned early Latter-day Saint apostle Parley Parker Pratt.[8][9][10]

Authors Richard and Joan Ostling have written that the Romneys are "an LDS political dynasty"[11] and "LDS royalty",[12] based on the family's heritage and their modern-day prominence in business, politics and as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The family is linked by marriage to the Smith family,[6] and has a lateral relationship with the Matheson family, the Huntsman family,[13][14] and the Eyring family.[15] A branch of the Romneys reside in the Mormon colonies in Mexico.[16][17] The Romney family emigrated to the United States from Dalton-in-Furness, England in the 1840s.[18][19]

Family members

Miles Romney (1806–1877) was born in Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire (now in Cumbria), on July 13, 1806. He was the son of George Romney, Jr. (whose father, George Romney, Sr. was first cousin to the English portrait painter also named George Romney[18][20]) and Sarah King. He married Elizabeth Gaskell (1809-1884) on November 16, 1830 in Dalton-in-Furness and both were converts to the LDS Church. He was an architect and designed the St. George Tabernacle and Brigham Young Winter Home and Office, the latter with his son, Miles Park Romney.[21] Miles Romney died in St. George, Utah on May 3, 1877.

  • George Romney (1831 – 1920) was a son of Miles Romney and Elizabeth Gaskell. He married Jane Jamieson (1850–?) and Vilate Ellen Douglas.[22] He was a Bishop with the LDS church and played a role in the early development of the state of Utah.[22]
  • Clyde Romney, the son of Miles Alonzo, married Almera Anderson.[24] He was a salesman and Almera was a school principal.[25]
  • Clyde Anderson Romney (1943–2006), the son of Clyde and Almera, was the Chief of Staff in Washington D.C. to U.S. Congressman Ron Packard of California from 1983 to 1986. A graduate of Stanford University, he was Bishop of the LDS Church San Dieguito Ward between 1974 and 1979 and Bishop of the LDS Church Carlsbad Ward. He served as LDS Church Regional Public Affairs Director for the county of San Diego and Bishop of the LDS Church Palomar Ward, Escondido South Stake from 1998 to 2006. Clyde was Chairman of the San Luis Rey Indian Water Rights Task Force and Congressional Facilitator of the San Luis Rey settlement act. Romney was candidate for the San Diego County board of supervisors in 1986 and the Palomar College Board of Trustees in 1988. He was a Republican.[24][25]
  • G. Ott Romney (1892–1973) was born in Salt Lake City, the son of George Ernst and Hannah, and died in Alexandria, Virginia. He was the third head football coach at Brigham Young University, coaching for nine years from 1928 to 1936. His national positions included Chairman of the National Recreation Policies Committee, National Director of the Recreation Section of the Works Progress Administration or WPA, assignments with the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and membership on U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Council on Youth Fitness. During World War II he served as Chief of Recreation and Club Unit Services to the United States Armed Forces through the Red Cross. He married Ruth Harding in 1919, and they were parents of three children – two girls and one boy.[26][27]
  • Miles Park Romney (1843–1904) was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, to Miles Romney and Elizabeth Gaskell. He married Hannah Hood Hill in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 10, 1862. He was the president of the St. George Social Hall Company and the St. George Dramatic Association, and also served as a chief of police, attorney-at-law, newspaper editor, and architect.[3][28] He also married Caroline ("Carrie") Lambourne, Catharine Jane Cottam, Annie Maria Woodbury and Emily ("Millie") Henrietta Eyring Snow as plural wives.[3][29]
  • Helen Hackett Brown Romney (1917–2004) was the wife of Vernon Romney. She was the Vice Chairman of Utah Republican Party, and served on the State Health Board as well as the State Parks and Recreation Board. She was a Founding and Charter Member of Utah State Heritage Foundation. Her first husband Vernon C. Brown (1912–1955).[30]
  • Vernon B. Romney (1924–2013), son of Vernon C. and first cousin of George W., served two terms as Attorney General of the State of Utah from 1969 to 1976.[31][32] He was defeated in a 1976 bid for governor. He was married to Patricia (Pingree) Romney.

  • Keith Bradford Romney (1929–2015) was a son of Vernon Romney. In 1960, the first condominium in the continental United States was built in Salt Lake City, Utah. The legal counsel for the project, Keith B. Romney is also credited with authoring the Utah Condominium Act of 1960. Romney also played an advisory role in the creation of condominium legislation with every other legislature in the U.S. Business Week hailed Romney as the "Father of Condominiums". He soon after formed a partnership with Don W. Pihl called "Keith Romney Associates", which was widely recognized throughout the 1970s as America's preeminent condominium consulting firm. He was a largest financial supporter his brother, politician Vernon B. Romney.[33]
  • Miles Archibald Romney (November 9, 1869 – November 28, 1939) was a son of Miles Park Romney and Hannah Hood Hill. After wedding Frances Turley in 1889, he married three sisters, Lily, Elizabeth and Emily Burrell, from 1898 to 1909.[34][35]
  • Keith Romney (1913–2003), son of Miles, was automobile dealer and LDS Church branch president in Las Cruces, New Mexico 1941–1950. He was a member of the El Paso Stake Presidency from 1952–1962, bishop of the Las Cruces Ward 1962–65, mission president of the West Spanish American Mission in Los Angeles, California between 1965–67, and president of the Southeast Mexican Mission, Vera Cruz, Mexico from 1967–69. He was Stake Patriarch in August 1974 and member of Honorary Spanish Society at New Mexico State University, receiving the Master M Men award in 1972.[34]
  • Gaskell Romney (1871–1955) was born in St. George, Utah, to Miles Park Romney and Hannah Hood Hill. He married Anna Amelia Pratt in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico, on February 20, 1895. He was the father of six sons and one daughter: Maurice, Douglas, Miles Pratt Romney, George W. Romney, Lawrence and Charles, and daughter Meryl who married Lavell G. Ward of Bloomington, Idaho.[36] Gaskell would be a candidate for County Commissioner 1931 as a Republican. He died in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 7, 1955, and is buried Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in the city.[28]
  • Lenore Romney (1909–1998) was married to George W. Romney and is the mother of Mitt Romney. She was a daughter of Harold Arundel LaFount, and was a Republican candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan in 1970.[12]
  • Ann Romney (b. 1949) is married to Mitt Romney and from 2003 to 2007 was First Lady of Massachusetts.[12] She is the daughter of Edward Roderick Davies.
  • Miles Romney Sr. (December 18, 1872 – March 31, 1943) was a Democrat and member of the State Democratic Central Committee in Montana. He was Mayor of Hamilton, Montana from 1902 to 1904 and served as a Montana State Senator from Ravalli County between 1906 and 1910. He was unsuccessful in three primary bids for Montana governor. Romney served as State Director of the National Recovery Act and also organized the Federal Housing Administration in Montana and the National Emergency Council, which became the U.S. Office of Government Reports. He was President of the Montana Press Association and publisher of the newspaper Hamilton Western News.[45][46]
  • Miles Romney Jr. (December 6, 1900 – February 19, 1976) was a member of the Montana House of Representatives between 1966 and 1970. In 1971, he was elected as a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention and was appointed to the Montana Senate in 1973 and elected to a full term in 1974. Romney was the publisher of the newspaper Hamilton Western News.[47]

Descendants of Miles Romney

Lafounts

George Romney's wife Lenore LaFount's family of origin:

Others

Notable relations

Places and awards

See also

References

  1. ^ "THE NEW KENNEDYS: Eight American Political Dynasties Of The 21st Century", Grace Wyler. Business Insider. September 1, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011
  2. ^ Romney, Mitt (2004), Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games, Regnery Publishing, ISBN 978-0-89526-084-0
  3. ^ a b c Romney, Catharine Cottam; Hansen, Jennifer Moulton (ed.) (1992), Letters of Catharine Cottam Romney, plural wife, University of Illinois Press, ISBN 9780252018688 ((citation)): |first2= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ Romney, Thomas Cottam (1938). Mormon Colonies in Mexico. University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874808384. (Reprinted in 2005, ISBN 978-0-87480-838-4). publisher's page on the book
  5. ^ Kranish, Michael; Helman, Scott (2012), The Real Romney, HarperCollins, p. 52, ISBN 9780062123299
  6. ^ a b Lamb, Brian (March 19, 2006), Q&A with Mitt Romney, C-SPAN
  7. ^ Harris, T. George (1968), Romney's Way: A Man and an Idea, Prentice-Hall, p. 15, ...young Gaskell Romney married a Pratt girl, Anna Amelia. ... Anna Pratt Romney, George's mother, belonged to the bluestockings of the Mormon establishment."
  8. ^ Bowman, Matthew (2012), The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith, Random House, p. xix, ISBN 9780679644903, One hundred and fifty years after the death of his ancestor, Parley Pratt's great-great-grandson Mitt Romney announced his bid for the Republican Party's nomination. ... He had served as governor of Massachusetts, and his father, George, as governor of Michigan.
  9. ^ Denton, Sally (January 29, 2012), Mitt and the White Horse Prophesy, Salon magazine, ...the youngest son of the most prominent Mormon in American politics — a seventh-generation direct descendant of one of the faith's founding 12 apostles—Mitt Romney....
  10. ^ Rich, Frank (January 29, 2012), "Who in God's Name Is Mitt Romney?", New York, Romney is...the scion of a family dynasty integral to the progress of an American-born faith....
  11. ^ Ostling, Richard N.; Ostling, Joan K. (1999). Mormon America: The Power and the Promise. New York: HarperOne. p. 134. ISBN 0-06-066372-3.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Ostling, Richard N.; Ostling, Joan K. (2007). Mormon America: The Power and the Promise (Revised ed.). New York: HarperOne. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-06-143295-8.
  13. ^ Barbaro, Michael; Parker, Ashley (January 4, 2012), "On Stage, an Awkward Reminder of Personal Rifts in G.O.P.", The New York Times, The Romney and Huntsman families — two intertwined clans that go back to the early days of Mormonism....
  14. ^ Krasny, Ros; Nichols, Michelle (January 2, 2012), Huntsman tries to turn up heat on Romney in N. Hampshire, Reuters, 'Both Romney and Huntsman descend from Parley P. Pratt, one of the most storied early Mormon leaders,' said Joanna Brooks, a Mormon scholar.... 'Both have family and personal connections to the institutional hierarchy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And both enjoy an unusual degree of access to high-ranking church leaders,' she said.
  15. ^ Dictionary of scientific biography, vol. 17, Scribner, 1981, ISBN 978-0-684-16966-8
  16. ^ "Mitt Romney, campaigning for Latino vote in Florida, seldom mentions Mexican roots". Associated Press. January 26, 2012.[dead link]
  17. ^ "Gaskell Romney", The Boston Globe, retrieved January 30, 2012
  18. ^ a b Cordelia Hebblethwaite (June 13, 2012). "Mitt Romney's Mormon roots in northern England". BBC News Online, Preston. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  19. ^ "The Making of Mitt Romney [gallery image caption]", The Boston Globe, p. 2, retrieved January 30, 2012
  20. ^ Bennett, Archibald Fowler (1951), A Guide for Genealogical Research, Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pp. 154–157, hdl:2027/wu.89062942750
  21. ^ "A Gathering of Eagles: Conversions from the Four Quarters of the Earth", Daniel B. Gibbons. iUniverse, 2002. ISBN 0-595-21970-5, 9780595219704. pp. 245-247.
  22. ^ a b "Utah since statehood: historical and biographical, Volume 2", Noble Warrum. S. J. Clarke publishing company, 1919. p. 440.
  23. ^ Congressional staff directory, Volume 18. Charles Bruce Brownson. Congressional Staff Directory, 1976. p. 475.
  24. ^ a b Congressional Staff Directory, 1985. Charles Brownson. Congressional Quarterly Books, 1985. ISBN 0-87289-061-9, 9780872890619. p. 1023.
  25. ^ a b "Supervisor Race Pits Familiar Figure Against Studious Rookie : Romney Relies on His Word, Not on His Record", Daniel Weintraub. Los Angeles Times. October 19, 1986. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  26. ^ "Ancestral File page on George Romney" Archived December 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Ancestry of G. Ott Romney. Family History Department, The Church of Jesus Latter Day Saints. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  27. ^ "G. Ott Romney Staff Bio", Brigham Young University. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  28. ^ a b "Polygamy Prominent in GOP Presidential Hopeful Mitt Romney's Family Tree" Archived November 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, FOX News. February 24, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  29. ^ Compton, Todd (May 2012). "Mitt Romney's Polygamous Heritage".
  30. ^ "Obituary: Helen Brown Romney", Deseret News. February 18, 2004. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  31. ^ "State attorneys general back reinstatement of death penalty". Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Associated Press. December 6, 1972. p. 28.
  32. ^ "Republicans plan strong campaign for Senate seats". Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. United Press International. June 22, 1975. p. 3A.
  33. ^ Housing & development reporter, Volume 15. Bureau of National Affairs (Arlington, Va.). Bureau of National Affairs, 1987. pp. 663, 708.
  34. ^ a b Mormon polygamous families: life in the principle. Jessie L. Embry. University of Utah Press, 1987. ISBN 0-87480-277-6, 9780874802771. pp. 125, 144.
  35. ^ Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage. B. Carmon Hardy. University of Illinois Press, 1992. ISBN 0-252-01833-8. Appendix at p. 394, #162.
  36. ^ "Death: Meryl Romney Ward". Deseret News. October 12, 1996. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  37. ^ a b Mahoney, Tom (1960). The Story of George Romney: Builder, Salesman, Crusader. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 52. OCLC 236830.
  38. ^ Dobner, Jennifer; Johnson, Glen (February 25, 2007). "Polygamy was prominent in Romney's family tree". Deseret News. Associated Press.
  39. ^ "A Mormon in the White House?: 10 things every American should know about Mitt Romney", Hugh Hewitt. Regnery Publishing, March 25, 2007. ISBN 1-59698-502-X, 9781596985025. p. 82.
  40. ^ Ties to Romney '08 Helped Fuel an Equity Firm April 30, 2012.
  41. ^ a b Ronna Romney Profile[dead link], Forbes.
  42. ^ a b Phillips, Frank (July 26, 1994). "Romney to stump for former in-law His father backs rival Mich. hopeful" (fee required). The Boston Globe. p. 19.
  43. ^ a b Beiler, David (October 1994). "Abraham vs. Romney". Campaigns and Elections. Archived from the original (fee required) on May 17, 2013.
  44. ^ Egan, Paul (February 24, 2015). "Ronna Romney McDaniel elected Michigan's GOP chair". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  45. ^ "Miles Romney Sr. 1872 – 1943" Archived December 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, University of Montana School of Journalism. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  46. ^ "Montana: a history of two centuries", Michael P. Malone, Richard B. Roeder, William L. Lang. University of Washington Press, November 1, 1991. ISBN 0-295-97129-0, 9780295971292. p. 256.
  47. ^ "Miles Romney Jr. 1900–1976" Archived December 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, University of Montana School of Journalism. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  48. ^ "Erastus Snow Romney". ancestry.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  49. ^ Thomas Cottam Romney "Mormon Colonies in Mexico", p. 284.
  50. ^ BYU Hall of Fame profile[permanent dead link], accessed October 18, 2010.
  51. ^ "Elwood Romney". BYU Cougars. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  52. ^ "Elwood Snow Romney". ancestry.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  53. ^ Golden, Colorado census records, 1940.
  54. ^ "Our People", Pritchett Siler & Hardy. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  55. ^ "2007 Annual Report" Archived July 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Marriott School, Brigham Young University. 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  56. ^ "New mission presidents", Church News. 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  57. ^ "Calling Plays in Dallas", BYU Magazine. Summer 2006. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  58. ^ a b Spencer W. Kimball, "President Marion G. Romney: A Symbol of Righteousness", Ensign, November 1972.
  59. ^ a b Andrew Jenson, Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Western Epics, 1971), p. 477
  60. ^ Finding Aid for Harold Arundel Lafount Papers, 1894–1959 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, 20th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
  61. ^ Lafount, Harold Arundel (1894–1959), Harold Arundel Lafount Papers, unpublished manuscript collection – L. Tom Perry Special Collections; 20th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts; Harold B. Lee Library; Brigham Young University
  62. ^ "Who is Baylor Romney? BYU's newest starting QB is unflappable, business-like and passionate about his craft". Deseret News. November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  63. ^ Mormons & Gentiles: a history of Salt Lake City. Thomas G. Alexander, James B. Allen. Pruett Pub. Co., 1984. ISBN 0-87108-664-6, 9780871086648. p. 258, 266
  64. ^ "Administration", Huntsman World Senior Games. Retrieved December 5, 2011
  65. ^ "John P. Romney", Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. Retrieved December 5, 2011
  66. ^ "People...", TMC. June 1997. Retrieved December 5, 2011
  67. ^ "Leadership Council", University of California at Irvine. Retrieved December 5, 2011
  68. ^ "Viewpoint: Opportunity! Community has different vision for school district" Archived May 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Chino Valley Review. March 24, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2011

Sources

External links

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