Mitt Romney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mitt Romney
Official portrait, 2019
United States Senator from Utah
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Orrin Hatch
Succeeded by	John Curtis
70th Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 2, 2003 – January 4, 2007
Lieutenant	Kerry Healey
Preceded by	Jane Swift (acting)
Succeeded by	Deval Patrick
Personal details
Born	Willard Mitt Romney (1947-03-12) March 12, 1947 (age 78) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1993–present)
Other political affiliations	Independent (before 1993)
Spouse	Ann Davies ​ (m. 1969)​
Children	5, including Tagg
Parents	George W. Romney Lenore LaFount Romney
Relatives	Romney family
Education	Brigham Young University (BA) Harvard University (JD, MBA)
Awards	List of honors and awards
Signature

Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a U.S. senator for Utah from 2019 to 2025. Before that, he was the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, he was the Republican Party's candidate for President of the United States.

Romney's father, George W. Romney, was also a politician and served as the governor of Michigan. After college, Romney became a successful businessman. He co-founded a company called Bain Capital that invested in other businesses. His work in business made him well known before he entered politics.

In 1999, Romney took a break from business to lead the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The games were facing serious money problems, and he helped make them a success. This achievement helped him launch his political career. He was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002. As governor, his biggest achievement was a health care law that helped nearly everyone in the state get health insurance.

Romney ran for president twice. He lost the Republican nomination in 2008. In 2012, he won the nomination but lost the election to President Barack Obama. After moving to Utah, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018. As a senator, he became known for being an independent voice in his party. He was the only Republican to vote to convict President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial. Romney retired from the Senate in 2025.

Early Life and Family

Childhood and School

Willard Mitt Romney was born on March 12, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan. His father, George W. Romney, was an executive at an automobile company who later became governor of Michigan. His mother was Lenore Romney. Mitt was the youngest of four children. His family called him "Mitt" from a young age.

When Romney was a boy, his family moved to Bloomfield Hills, a wealthy town near Detroit. He attended public schools and later went to Cranbrook School, a private school for boys. He was active in many school clubs and played on the cross country team. In high school, he started dating Ann Davies, and they got married in 1969.

Romney in Cranbrook School's 1965 yearbook

College and Mission to France

Romney attended Stanford University for one year. Then, from 1966 to 1968, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in France. This was a tradition in his family. Being a missionary was a very important experience for him, and he learned to speak French fluently.

Mitt Romney and Ann Romney with George Romney and Lenore Romney at the White House in 1969

After his mission, he returned to the United States and married Ann. They moved to Utah, where he studied at Brigham Young University (BYU). He graduated with a degree in English in 1971. The Romneys have five sons: Taggart, Matthew, Joshua, Benjamin, and Craig.

Romney then went to Harvard University, where he earned degrees in both law and business. He graduated in 1975 with high honors.

Mitt's father George (pictured here in a 1968 poster) lost the Republican presidential nomination to Richard M. Nixon and later was appointed to the Nixon cabinet.

Mitt's mother Lenore, promoted here on a button, lost a Senate race in 1970. Mitt worked for her campaign.

Business Career

After graduating from Harvard, Romney decided to work in business instead of law. He first worked as a management consultant, helping different companies solve problems.

In 1984, Romney co-founded a new company called Bain Capital. It was a private equity firm, which means it used money from investors to buy other companies. Bain Capital would often buy businesses that were not doing well, work to make them more profitable, and then sell them.

One of Bain Capital's most famous investments was in the office supply store Staples Inc.. The company grew to be very successful. Under Romney's leadership, Bain Capital became one of the largest and most successful firms of its kind in the country.

Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital in 1994 to run for the U.S. Senate. He later left the company for good in 1999 to lead the Salt Lake City Olympics. His business career made him very wealthy.

Political Career

1994 U.S. Senate Campaign

Campaigning for U.S. Senate in Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1994

In 1994, Romney ran for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts as a Republican. He challenged the longtime Democratic senator, Ted Kennedy. Romney presented himself as a successful businessman who could bring new ideas to Washington, D.C.

It was a tough race. Kennedy was a very well-known and powerful politician. In the end, Romney lost the election. Even though he lost, the campaign made him a recognized name in politics.

2002 Winter Olympics

Romney with Orrin Hatch at a press conference on Olympic security in October 2001

In 1999, Romney was asked to become the president and CEO of the organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The games were in serious trouble. There was not enough money to pay for everything, and a scandal had hurt the event's reputation.

Romney took charge and made big changes. He cut costs, found new companies to sponsor the games, and helped raise millions of dollars. He also worked to make sure the games would be safe, especially after the September 11 attacks.

The 2002 Winter Olympics were a huge success. Romney was praised for his leadership and for turning the event around. This success made him a popular figure and helped him get ready for his next step in politics.

Romney, as president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, speaking before a curling match

Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007)

Romney with President George W. Bush in 2002

After his success with the Olympics, Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and won. As governor, he faced a state legislature that was controlled by Democrats. This meant he had to work with the other party to get things done.

His most important achievement as governor was signing a health care reform law in 2006. The law, often called "Romneycare," was designed to help nearly every resident of Massachusetts get health insurance. It required people to have insurance and provided help for those who couldn't afford it. It was the first law of its kind in the nation.

Romney decided not to run for a second term as governor. Instead, he began to prepare for a presidential campaign.

Romney's official gubernatorial portrait, 2005

Presidential Campaigns

Romney ran for president twice. In 2008, he sought the Republican nomination. He campaigned across the country, but he eventually lost the nomination to Senator John McCain.

He ran again in 2012. This time, he won the Republican nomination, and his running mate was Congressman Paul Ryan. He campaigned against President Barack Obama, focusing on the economy. Romney said his business experience made him the best person to create jobs and fix the country's financial problems.

During the campaign, a video was released that showed Romney speaking at a private event. He said that 47% of Americans were dependent on the government and would vote for Obama no matter what. These comments were widely criticized, and Romney later said he was "completely wrong."

On November 6, 2012, Romney lost the presidential election to Barack Obama.

Electoral College results

U.S. Senator from Utah (2019–2025)

After the 2012 election, Romney moved to Utah. In 2018, he ran for the U.S. Senate seat for that state and won. This made him one of only a few people in U.S. history to serve as governor of one state and a senator for another.

Romney being sworn in as Senator from Utah by Vice President Mike Pence

As a senator, Romney was known for being independent and sometimes disagreeing with his own party. He had a complicated relationship with President Donald Trump. While he supported some of Trump's policies, he also criticized him publicly.

Historic Impeachment Votes

Romney's most famous actions as a senator were his votes during President Trump's impeachment trials. In February 2020, during Trump's first trial, Romney was the only Republican senator who voted to convict the president. This was the first time in U.S. history that a senator had ever voted to remove a president from their own party.

In 2021, after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time. Romney was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump in the Senate.

Important Actions in the Senate

In June 2020, Romney joined a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington, D.C. He was the first Republican senator to do so. He said it was important to stand up against racism.

During the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Romney was inside the building. He was led to safety by a Capitol Police officer named Eugene Goodman. Romney later expressed his anger at the attack and said that President Trump was to blame for it.

In 2023, Romney announced that he would not run for reelection. He retired from the Senate when his term ended in January 2025.

Political Positions

Romney meeting with President Obama after the 2012 presidential election

Mitt Romney is generally considered a moderate-to-conservative Republican. Over his career, his positions on some issues have changed.

• Economy: He supports lower taxes and less government spending to reduce the national debt. He believes a smaller government helps the economy grow.
• Healthcare: He wanted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") and give states more control over their own healthcare systems.
• Foreign Policy: He believes in a strong military. He has called Russia a "geopolitical foe" and has been a strong supporter of Israel.
• Social Issues: In 2022, he was one of 12 Republican senators who voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, a law that protects same-sex marriage at the federal level. He has also shown support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Electoral history

U.S. senator from Massachusetts

Governor of Massachusetts

2012 Republican nominee for President of the United States

U.S. Senator from Utah

Awards and honors

Receiving the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award on behalf of his state

• People magazine named him one of its "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2002.
• The Cranbrook School gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005.
• In 2012, Time magazine included Romney in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
• In 2021, he received the Profile in Courage Award for his vote in President Trump's first impeachment trial.
• He has received many honorary degrees from universities like the University of Utah and Liberty University.

Published works

• Romney, Mitt (2004). Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89526-084-0. OCLC 54422251.
• Romney, Mitt (2010). No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-60980-1. OCLC 495552134.

See also

In Spanish: Mitt Romney para niños

• List of governors of Massachusetts
• List of United States senators from Utah
• List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets
• President of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games