Mitt Romney

==Early life and education==

===Heritage and youth===
{{See also|Romney family}}

Willard Mitt Romney<ref name="mitt-bc">{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-29/news/sns-rt-us-usa-campaign-romney-birth-certificatebre84s1gf-20120529_1_george-romney-republican-mitt-romney-citizen|title=Romney's birth certificate evokes his father's controversy|first=Mark|last=Hosenball|agency=[[Reuters]]|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=May 29, 2012|access-date=April 19, 2015|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020083249/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-29/news/sns-rt-us-usa-campaign-romney-birth-certificatebre84s1gf-20120529_1_george-romney-republican-mitt-romney-citizen|url-status=live}} Also see [http://static.reuters.com/resources/media/editorial/20120529/RomneyBirthCertificate.pdf "State of Michigan Certificate of Live Birth"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315085751/http://static.reuters.com/resources/media/editorial/20120529/RomneyBirthCertificate.pdf |date=March 15, 2023 }}.</ref> was born on March 12, 1947, at [[Harper University Hospital]] in [[Detroit]], Michigan,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-02-17/michigan-primary-santorum-romney/53159656/1|title=Home sweet home? Michigan primary a challenge for Romney|first=Susan|last=Page|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=February 20, 2012|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083727/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-02-17/michigan-primary-santorum-romney/53159656/1|url-status=live}}</ref> one of four children born to automobile executive <!-- at the time of Mitt's birth! what he did later is described later --> [[George W. Romney]] and former actress and homemaker <!-- at the time of Mitt's birth! what she did later is described later --> [[Lenore Romney]] (née LaFount).<ref>Mahoney, ''The Story of George Romney'', pp. 59–62, 104, 113.</ref> His mother was a native of [[Logan, Utah]], and his father was born to American parents in a [[Mormon colonies in Mexico|Mormon colony]] in [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], Mexico.<ref>{{cite news|title=In besieged Mormon colony, Mitt Romney's Mexican roots|last=Miroff|first=Nick|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=July 21, 2011|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-besieged-mormon-colony-mitt-romneys-mexican-roots/2011/07/21/gIQAFGOXVI_story.html|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518123356/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-besieged-mormon-colony-mitt-romneys-mexican-roots/2011/07/21/gIQAFGOXVI_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mexican Cousins Keep Romney's Family Tree Rooted |author=Burnett, John |url=http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/npr1327244449-Mexican-Cousins-Keep-Romneys-Family-Tree-Rooted.html |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=January 22, 2012 |access-date=January 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605053609/http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/npr1327244449-Mexican-Cousins-Keep-Romneys-Family-Tree-Rooted.html |archive-date=June 5, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Of primarily English descent, he also has Scottish and German ancestry.<ref>Mahoney, ''The Story of George Romney'', pp. 52, 70.</ref><ref name="rsgsg">{{Cite book|last=Roberts|first=Gary Boyd|author-link=Gary Boyd Roberts|title=Notable Kin: An Anthology of Columns First Published in the NEHGS NEXUS 1986–1995, Volume 2 |publisher=Carl Boyer, 3rd|year=1998|location=Boston|page=212|isbn=978-0-936124-20-9}}</ref><ref name="rsgsgs">{{Cite news|last=Potter|first=Mitch|title=Mitt Romney has Canadian roots|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|date=January 23, 2012|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/01/23/mitt_romney_has_canadian_roots.html|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=March 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304054655/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/01/23/mitt_romney_has_canadian_roots.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A fifth-generation member of the LDS Church, he is a great-grandson of [[Miles Park Romney]] and a great-great-grandson of [[Miles Romney]], who converted to Mormonism in its first decade. Another great-great-grandfather, [[Parley P. Pratt]], helped [[Quorum of the Twelve|lead the early church]].<ref name="bgseries2">{{Cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/25/centered_in_faith_a_family_emerges/|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Part 2: Centered in faith, a family emerges|author=Kranish, Michael|author2=Paulson, Michael|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 25, 2007|author-link=Michael Kranish|author-link2=Michael Paulson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083534/http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/25/centered_in_faith_a_family_emerges/|archive-date=January 13, 2020|access-date=February 7, 2020|url-status=dead}} Also available as [https://www.deseret.com/2007/7/2/20027702/mitt-s-lds-roots-run-deep "Mitt's LDS roots run deep"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206173241/https://www.deseret.com/2007/7/2/20027702/mitt-s-lds-roots-run-deep |date=February 6, 2020 }}, ''Deseret Morning News'', July 2, 2007.</ref><ref name="FaithRise">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mitt-romney-mormon-faith_n_1834466|title=Mitt Romney Holds Mormon Faith Close Through Political Rise|first=Jaweed|last=Kaleem|work=[[HuffPost]]|date=August 29, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2020|archive-date=April 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410060815/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mitt-romney-mormon-faith_n_1834466|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Mitt Romney in 1965 Brook.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|alt=Black and white headshot of a young Romney.|Romney in [[Cranbrook Schools|Cranbrook School]]'s 1965 yearbook]]
Romney has three older siblings: Margo, Jane, and Scott. Mitt was the youngest by nearly six years.<ref>Mahoney, ''The Story of George Romney'', pp. 104, 113.</ref> His parents named him after a family friend, businessman [[J. Willard Marriott]], and his father's cousin, [[Milton Romney|Milton "Mitt" Romney]], a former quarterback for the [[Chicago Bears]].<ref name="real-14">Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', pp. 14–15.</ref> Romney was called "Billy" until kindergarten, when he expressed a preference for "Mitt".<ref name="crim102194">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1994/10/21/romney-gains-momentum-as-he-keeps/|title=Romney Gains Momentum As He Keeps On Running|author=Gell, Jeffrey N.|newspaper=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|date=October 21, 1994|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083251/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1994/10/21/romney-gains-momentum-as-he-keeps/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1953, the family moved from Detroit to the affluent suburb of [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan|Bloomfield Hills]] and his father became the chairman and CEO of [[American Motors]] the following year and helped the company avoid bankruptcy and return to profitability.<ref name="real-15">Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', pp. 15–16.</ref> By 1959, his father had become a nationally known figure in print and on television,<ref>{{cite book |title=Current Biography Yearbook 1958|editor-last=Candee|editor-first=Marjorie Dent |publisher=[[H. W. Wilson Company]] |location=New York |year=1958|page=[https://archive.org/details/currentbiogr195800cand/page/368 368]|isbn=978-0-8242-0124-1|title-link=Current Biography Yearbook}}</ref> and Mitt idolized him.<ref name="bgseries1" />

Romney attended public [[elementary school]]s until seventh grade, when he enrolled as one of only a few [[Mormons|Mormon]] students at [[Cranbrook Schools|Cranbrook School]], a private upscale boys' [[University-preparatory school|preparatory school]] a few miles from his home.<ref name="crim102194" /><ref name="wapo-cran" /> Many students there came from backgrounds even more privileged than his.<ref name="prankster" /> Not particularly athletic, he also did not distinguish himself academically.<ref name="bgseries1" /> He participated in his father's successful [[George W. Romney#Governor of Michigan|1962 Michigan gubernatorial campaign]],<ref name="time-prof-2007" /> and later worked as an intern in the governor's office.<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="lat-father">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-25-na-romneydadson25-story.html|title=Romney's running mate|author=Martelle, Scott|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 25, 2007|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083618/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-25-na-romneydadson25-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Romney took up residence at Cranbrook when his newly elected father began spending most of his time at [[Michigan State Capitol|the state capitol]].<ref name="wapo-cran">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_singlePage.html|title=Mitt Romney's prep school classmates recall pranks, but also troubling incidents|first=Jason|last=Horowitz|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 10, 2012|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=August 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821045215/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_singlePage.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

At Cranbrook, Romney helped manage the ice hockey team, and joined the [[pep squad]].<ref name="wapo-cran" /> During his senior year, he joined the [[cross country running]] team.<ref name="crim102194" /> He belonged to 11 school organizations and [[school club]]s, including the Blue Key Club, a [[booster club|booster group]] he had started.<ref name="wapo-cran" /> During his final year there, his academic record improved but fell short of excellence.<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="prankster" /> Romney was involved in several pranks while attending Cranbrook. He has since apologized for them, stating that some of them may have gone too far.{{#tag:ref|Pranks conducted by Romney during his Cranbrook years included [[ice blocking|sliding down golf courses on large ice cubes]], dressing as a police officer and tapping on the car windows of friends who were making out, and staging an elaborate [[formal dinner]] on the [[median (road)|median]] of a busy street.<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="prankster" /> The golf course escapade led to Romney and Ann Davies being detained by local police.<ref name="ap-2007-prof">{{Cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695236445/Fortunate-Son-Mitt-Romneys-life-is-his-fathers-legacy.html |title=Fortunate Son: Mitt Romney's life is his father's legacy |author=LeBlanc, Steve |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[Deseret Morning News]] |location=Salt Lake City |date=December 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626075029/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1%2C5143%2C695236445%2C00.html |archive-date=June 26, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="fortune-2007">{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/07/09/100121803/index.htm |title=The Republicans' Mr. Fix-it |author=Vickers, Marcia |magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |date=June 27, 2007 |access-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922150346/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/07/09/100121803/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, five former classmates described a 1965 episode where Romney, then a senior, took the lead in holding down a younger student while cutting his long, bleached-blond hair with scissors.<ref name="wapo-cran" /> Romney said that he does not recall the incident, though he acknowledged that he might have participated in some high school "hijinks and pranks" that went too far, and he apologized for any harm that resulted from them.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/politics/years-later-a-prep-school-bullying-case-snares-romney.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511032125/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/politics/years-later-a-prep-school-bullying-case-snares-romney.html |archive-date=May 11, 2012 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Bullying Story Spurs Apology From Romney |first1=Ashley |last1=Parker|first2=Jodi |last2=Kantor|author-link2=Jodi Kantor|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-apologizes-for-high-school-pranks-that-might-have-gone-too-far/2012/05/10/gIQAC3JhFU_story.html|title=Mitt Romney apologizes for high school pranks that 'might have gone too far'|first=Philip|last=Rucker|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 10, 2012|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=October 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021232706/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-apologizes-for-high-school-pranks-that-might-have-gone-too-far/2012/05/10/gIQAC3JhFU_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>|group="nb"}} In March of his senior year, he began dating [[Ann Romney|Ann Davies]]; she attended the private [[Cranbrook Schools|Kingswood School]], Cranbrook's sister school.<ref name="prankster">{{Cite news|title=From prankster to politician, Romney deemed a class act |url=https://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/06/12/from_prankster_to_politician_romney_deemed_a_class_act/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=June 12, 2005|author=Greenberger, Scott S.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008050634/http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/06/12/from_prankster_to_politician_romney_deemed_a_class_act/|archive-date=October 8, 2009}}</ref><ref name="real-28">Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', pp. 27–29.</ref> The two became informally engaged around the time he graduated from high school in June 1965.<ref name="bgseries1">{{Cite news|author=Swidey, Neil |author2=Paulson, Michael |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/24/privilege_tragedy_and_a_young_leader/ |title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Part 1: Privilege, tragedy, and a young leader |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=June 24, 2007 |author-link2=Michael Paulson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918153844/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part1_main/ |archive-date=September 18, 2007 |url-status=live}} Also [https://web.archive.org/web/20130502134029/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8712338.html available from HighBeam]. Also available as {{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918090328/http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C680195540%2C00.html |title=Mitt Romney: the beginning |work=[[Deseret Morning News]] |date=July 1, 2007 |url=http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,680195540,00.html |archive-date=September 18, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="ap-2007-prof" />

===College, France mission, marriage, and children===
[[File:Nixon Contact Sheet WHPO-1542 (cropped1).jpg|thumb|right|Mitt Romney and [[Ann Romney]] with [[George W. Romney|George Romney]] and [[Lenore Romney]] at the White House in 1969]]
Romney attended [[Stanford University]] during the 1965–1966 academic year.<ref name="bgseries1" /> He was not part of the [[counterculture of the 1960s]] then taking form in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]].<ref name="bgseries1" /> As [[opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War]] grew, a group staged a May 1966 [[sit-in]] at Stanford's administration building to demonstrate against draft status tests; Romney joined a counterprotest against that group.<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="cbs-rcp-stan">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/at-stanford-romney-got-his-bearings-in-a-year-of-change/|title=At Stanford, Romney got his bearings in a year of change|first1=Scott|last1=Conroy|first2=Laura|last2=Strickler|work=[[CBS News]]|date=June 7, 2012|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083653/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/at-stanford-romney-got-his-bearings-in-a-year-of-change/|url-status=live}}</ref> He continued to enjoy occasional pranks.{{#tag:ref|Pranks conducted by Romney during his Stanford years included dressing as a police officer and pretending to arrest people<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/06/23/mitt-romney-impersonation-police-officer-high-school-and-college/3jTRhzcmp1C4XT70s1PbmK/story.html|title=Mitt Romney's prankster ways continued in college|first=Michael|last=Kranish|author-link=Michael Kranish|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 24, 2012|access-date=June 21, 2017|archive-date=August 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829080908/https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/06/23/mitt-romney-impersonation-police-officer-high-school-and-college/3jTRhzcmp1C4XT70s1PbmK/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and pre-[[Big Game (American football)|"Big Game"]] customs involving the [[Stanford Axe]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stanforddaily.com/2012/08/22/mitt-romney-led-the-charge-as-a-big-game-prankster-in-1965/|title=Mitt Romney led the charge as a Big Game prankster in 1965|newspaper=[[The Stanford Daily]]|date=August 22, 2012|first=Edward|last=Ngai|access-date=August 27, 2012|archive-date=August 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825235905/http://www.stanforddaily.com/2012/08/22/mitt-romney-led-the-charge-as-a-big-game-prankster-in-1965/|url-status=live}}</ref>|group="nb"}}

In July 1966, he began a 30-month stint in France as a [[Mormon missionary]],<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/gallery/romney_france?pg=3|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Part 2: Photo 3|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|access-date=March 17, 2011|date=June 18, 2007|archive-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629024557/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/gallery/romney_france?pg=3|url-status=live}}</ref> a traditional rite of passage in his family.{{#tag:ref|Mitt's great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and two uncles had been missionaries,<ref>Mahoney, ''The Story of George Romney'', pp. 73–74.</ref> as had his brother, Scott.<ref name="nyt-searching" /> He did briefly consider breaking with tradition and not going on a mission<ref>Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', p. 63.</ref> (and he had successfully been rushed by the [[Phi Kappa Sigma]] fraternity at Stanford, for sophomore year membership).<ref name="cbs-rcp-stan" /> But he did go, and all five of Mitt's sons later served as missionaries as well.<ref name="hewitt-82">Hewitt, ''A Mormon in the White House?'', pp. 81–82.</ref>|group="nb"}} He arrived in [[Le Havre]], where he shared cramped quarters under meager conditions.<ref name="bgseries2" /><ref name="nyt-searching" /> Rules against drinking, smoking, and dating were strictly enforced.<ref name="bgseries2" />

On average, individual Mormon missionaries do not gain many converts{{#tag:ref|Based on figures from 1971 to 2010, the average Mormon gets only 4–8 baptism converts to the faith per year during a mission.<ref>{{cite book|first=David G. Jr. |last=Stewart|year=2007|title=The Law of the Harvest: Practical Principles of Effective Missionary Work|publisher=Cumorah Foundation|location=Henderson, Nevada|isbn=978-0-9795121-0-0}}</ref> The church succeeds in expanding by having huge numbers of missionaries, so that the small number of conversions from each one add up.<ref>{{cite book |title=Building the Kingdom: A History of Mormons in America |url=https://archive.org/details/buildingkingdomh0000bush |url-access=registration |first1=Claudia Lauper|last1=Bushman|author-link=Claudia Lauper Bushman|first2=Richard Lyman|last2=Bushman|author-link2=Richard Bushman|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=New York|year=2001|isbn=978-0-19-515022-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/buildingkingdomh0000bush/page/97 97]}}</ref>|group="nb"}} and Romney was no exception:<ref name="nyt-searching" /> he later estimated 10 to 20 for his entire mission.<ref>Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', p. 69.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Romney's task was complicated by proselytizing for a [[Word of Wisdom|religion that prohibits alcohol]] in a [[French wine|country known for it]].<ref name="bgseries2" /> He reflected upon this in 2002: "As you can imagine, it's quite an experience to go to Bordeaux and say, 'Give up your wine! I've got a great religion for you!{{' "}}<ref name="nykr2002" />|group="nb"}} He initially became demoralized and later recalled it as the only time when "most of what I was trying to do was rejected."<ref name="nyt-searching">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/us/politics/15romney.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117095728/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/us/politics/15romney.html |archive-date=November 17, 2007 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Romney, Searching and Earnest, Set His Path in '60s|author=Kirkpatrick, David D.|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 15, 2007|page=A1}}</ref>

Romney soon gained recognition within the mission for the many homes he called on and the repeat visits he was granted.<ref name="bgseries2" /> He became a zone leader in [[Bordeaux]] in early 1968, and soon thereafter became an assistant to the [[mission president]] in Paris.<ref name="bgseries2" /><ref name="nyt-searching" /><ref name="tlgh-paris" /> While in Paris, Romney resided at the Mission Home for several months, and enjoyed a mansion far more comfortable than the accommodations he experienced elsewhere in the country.<ref name="tlgh-paris">{{cite news|last1=Samuel|first1=Henry|last2=Swaine|first2=Jon|title=Mitt Romney's life as a poor Mormon missionary in France questioned|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=December 15, 2011|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/8959440/US-election-2012-Mitt-Romneys-life-as-a-poor-Mormon-missionary-in-France-questioned.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216023502/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/8959440/US-election-2012-Mitt-Romneys-life-as-a-poor-Mormon-missionary-in-France-questioned.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2011}}</ref>

When the French expressed opposition to the U.S. role in the [[Vietnam War]], Romney debated them. Those who yelled at him and slammed their doors in his face merely reinforced his resolve.<ref name="bgseries2" /><ref name="nyt-searching" />

{{multiple image
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| footer =
| image1 = Romney Great for '68.jpg
| alt1 = 1968 campaign poster showing a smiling George Romney
| caption1 = Mitt's father [[George W. Romney|George]] (pictured here in a 1968 poster) lost the Republican presidential nomination to [[Richard M. Nixon]] and later was appointed to the [[Nixon cabinet and appointments|Nixon cabinet]].
| image2 = Lenore Romney for U.S. Senate.jpg
| alt2 = campaign button advocating Lenore Romney for U. S. Senate
| caption2 = Mitt's mother Lenore, promoted here on a button, lost a Senate race in 1970. Mitt worked for her campaign.
}}

In June 1968, while in southern France and driving an automobile that was hit by another vehicle, Romney was seriously injured. The crash killed one of his passengers, the wife of the mission president.{{#tag:ref|On June 16, 1968, Romney and five fellow Mormons were traveling on dangerous roads in southern France.<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="wapo-mission">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/09/AR2007120901473.html|title=A Mission Accepted|author=Saslow, Eli|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 10, 2007|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=December 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225011259/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/09/AR2007120901473.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bg-accident" /> As they drove through the village of [[Bernos-Beaulac]], a [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] that was passing a truck missed a curve and swerved into the opposite lane hitting the [[Citroën DS]] Romney was driving [[head-on collision|head-on]].<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="lexpress.fr">{{Cite news|url=http://www.lexpress.fr/info/monde/dossier/usa2008/diaporama.asp?id=464805|title=La jeunesse française de Mitt Romney|newspaper=[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]|date=January 23, 2008|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130005110/http://www.lexpress.fr/info/monde/dossier/usa2008/diaporama.asp?id=464805|archive-date=January 30, 2008}}</ref> Trapped between the steering wheel and door, the unconscious Romney had to be pried from the car; a French police officer mistakenly wrote ''Il est mort'' in his passport.<ref name="bgseries1" /><ref name="ap-2007-prof" /><ref name="bg-accident" /> Besides killing the wife of the mission president, the other four passengers were seriously injured.<ref name="bg-accident" /> George Romney relied on his friend [[Sargent Shriver]], the [[U.S. Ambassador to France]], to go to the local hospital and discover that his son had survived.<ref name="ap-2007-prof" /> Mitt Romney, who was not at fault in the accident,<ref name="nyt-searching" /><ref name="bg-accident">{{cite news|author=Paulson, Michael|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part1_side/|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Survivors recall tragic car crash in France with Romney at the wheel|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 24, 2007|author-link=Michael Paulson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020133426/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part1_side/?page=full |archive-date=October 20, 2010}} Also available as {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/world/europe/24iht-24Romney.6300715.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120031921/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/world/europe/24iht-24Romney.6300715.html |archive-date=November 20, 2011 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Survivors recall tragic car crash in France with Romney |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 24, 2007 }}</ref> had suffered broken ribs, a fractured arm, a concussion, and facial injuries, but recovered quickly without needing surgery.<ref name="wapo-mission" /><ref name="bg-accident" /> The French police say that they have no records of the incident because such records are routinely destroyed after 10&nbsp;years.<ref name="bg-accident" />|name="nb-acc"|group="nb"}}

Romney then became co-president of a mission that had become demoralized and disorganized after the [[May 1968 events in France|May 1968 general strike and student uprisings]] and the car accident.<ref name="wapo-mission" /> With Romney rallying the others, the mission met its goal of 200 baptisms for the year, the most in a decade.<ref name="wapo-mission" /> By the end of his stint in December 1968, he was overseeing the work of 175 others.<ref name="nyt-searching" /><ref name="bg-accident" /> As a result of his experience there, Romney developed a lifelong affection for France and its people, and has remained fluent in French.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120111/mitt-romney-blasts-obama-europe-new-hampshire-speech|title=Mitt Romney blasts Obama, Europe in NH primary victory speech|publisher=[[GlobalPost]]|date=January 11, 2012|access-date=October 11, 2012|archive-date=November 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109043542/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120111/mitt-romney-blasts-obama-europe-new-hampshire-speech|url-status=live}}</ref>

At their first meeting following his return, Romney and Ann Davies reconnected and decided to get married.<ref>Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', p. 88.</ref> Before their wedding, Romney moved to [[Utah]] and enrolled at [[Brigham Young University]], where Ann had been studying.{{r|horowitz20120218}} They married on March 21, 1969, in a civil ceremony in Bloomfield Hills and the next day, they flew to Utah for a Mormon wedding ceremony at the [[Salt Lake Temple]]; Ann had [[Religious conversion#Latter Day Saint movement|converted to the faith]] while he was away.<ref name="bgseries4">{{Cite news|author=Swidey, Neil|author2=Ebbert, Stephanie|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part4_main/|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Part 4: Journeys of a shared life: Raising sons, rising expectations bring unexpected turns|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 27, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112211501/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part4_main/|archive-date=January 12, 2010|url-status=live}} Also [https://web.archive.org/web/20121203030413/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8706571.html available in HighBeam]. Also available as [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/680196334/Romney-determined-to-make-mark-early.html "Romney determined to make mark early"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102020010/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/680196334/Romney-determined-to-make-mark-early.html |date=November 2, 2010 }}, ''Deseret Morning News'', July 4, 2007.</ref><ref name="nyt-wedding">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/03/22/archives/mitt-romney-marries-ann-davies.html|title=Mitt Romney Marries Ann Davies|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 22, 1969|page=37|access-date=July 23, 2018|archive-date=July 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723182352/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/03/22/archives/mitt-romney-marries-ann-davies.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Romney had missed much of the tumultuous [[Opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War|anti-Vietnam War movement in America]] while in France. Upon his return, he was surprised to learn that his father had joined that movement during [[George Romney presidential campaign, 1968|his unsuccessful 1968 presidential campaign]].<ref name="nyt-searching" /> George was now [[George W. Romney#Secretary of Housing and Urban Development|serving in President Richard Nixon's cabinet]] as [[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]]. In a June 1970 newspaper profile of children of cabinet members, Mitt said that U.S. involvement in the war had been misguided – "If it wasn't a political blunder to move into Vietnam, I don't know what is" – but supported Nixon's ongoing [[Cambodian Incursion]] as a sincere attempt to end the war.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SSIrAAAAIBAJ&pg=3426,2026569|title=Generation Gap Reaches to Top|agency=[[Newsweek|Newsweek Feature Service]]|newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]]|date=June 4, 1970|page=32|access-date=February 6, 2020|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226001627/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SSIrAAAAIBAJ&pg=3426,2026569|url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[Conscription in the United States|U.S. military draft]] for the Vietnam War, Romney sought and received two [[Class 1-A|2-S student deferments]], then a [[Class 1-A|4-D ministerial deferment]] while living in France as a missionary. He later sought and received two additional student deferments.<ref name="cbs-rcp-stan" /><ref name="bg-draft" /> When those ran out, he drew number 300 in the [[Draft lottery (1969)|December 1969 draft lottery]], ensuring he would not be drafted.<ref name="cbs-rcp-stan" /><ref name="bg-draft">{{cite news|author=Kranish, Michael|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part1_side_2/|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Mormon church obtained Vietnam draft deferrals for Romney, other missionaries|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 24, 2007|author-link=Michael Kranish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031020120/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part1_side_2/?page=full|archive-date=October 31, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sss.gov/LOTTER8.HTM |title=Results from Lottery Drawing&nbsp;– Vietnam Era&nbsp;– 1970 |publisher=[[Selective Service System]] |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915232321/http://www.sss.gov/LOTTER8.HTM |archive-date=September 15, 2012 }}</ref>

At culturally conservative BYU, Romney remained separated from much of the upheaval of that era.<ref name="nyt-searching" />{{r|horowitz20120218}} He became president of the Cougar Club [[Booster club|booster organization]] and showed a newfound discipline in his studies.<ref name="nyt-searching" />{{r|horowitz20120218}} During his senior year, he took a leave of absence to work as driver and [[advance man]] for his mother's unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign;<ref name="ap-2007-prof" /><ref name="bgseries4" /> together, they visited [[List of counties in Michigan|all 83 Michigan counties]].<ref name="time-dreams">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2115636,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021232613/http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2115636,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 21, 2014|title=Dreams from His Mother|first=Barton|last=Gellman|author-link=Barton Gellman|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=June 4, 2012}}</ref><ref name="nyt-lessons" /> Romney graduated from BYU in 1971 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[English studies|English]] and a 3.97 [[Grading (education)#United States|GPA]].<ref name="horowitz20120218">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-as-a-student-at-a-chaotic-time-for-byu-focused-on-family-church/2012/02/17/gIQABaWaMR_story.html|title=Mitt Romney, as a student at a chaotic time for BYU, focused on family, church|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=February 18, 2012|author=Horowitz, Jason|access-date=October 16, 2022|archive-date=November 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126215547/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-as-a-student-at-a-chaotic-time-for-byu-focused-on-family-church/2012/02/17/gIQABaWaMR_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He gave commencement addresses to both the College of Humanities and the whole of BYU.{{#tag:ref|Some sources incorrectly report that Romney graduated first in his class at BYU. Romney himself has corrected this notion, saying that he didn't. While Romney believes he did have the highest grade point average for his on-campus BYU years in the College of Humanities, he did not if his Stanford record was factored in.<ref name="hewitt-46" />{{r|lamb20060319}}|group="nb"}}

The Romneys' first son, [[Tagg Romney|Taggart]], was born in 1970<ref name="hewitt-82" /> while they were undergraduates at BYU and living in a [[basement apartment]].{{r|horowitz20120218}} Their son Matthew was born in 1971 and Joshua in 1975. Benjamin (1978) and Craig (1981) were born after Romney had begun his career.<ref name="hewitt-82" />

Romney wanted to pursue a business career, but his father advised him that a law degree would be valuable to his career even if he never practiced law.<ref name="bgseries3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/25/reaping_profit_in_study_sweat/|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Part 3: Reaping profit in study, sweat|author=Gavin, Robert|author2=Pfeiffer, Sacha|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112040340/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/romney/articles/part3_main/|archive-date=January 12, 2010}} Also [https://web.archive.org/web/20121128192753/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8712358.html available in HighBeam]. Also available as [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/680195957/Plenty-of-pitting-preceded-Romneys-profits.html "Plenty of 'pitting' preceded Romney's profits"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208080345/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/680195957/Plenty-of-pitting-preceded-Romneys-profits.html |date=December 8, 2018 }}, ''Deseret Morning News'', July 3, 2007.</ref><ref name="nyt-harvard">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/us/politics/how-harvard-shaped-mitt-romney.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225002053/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/us/politics/how-harvard-shaped-mitt-romney.html |archive-date=December 25, 2011 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=At Harvard, a Master's in Problem Solving |last=Kantor|first=Jodi|date=December 25, 2011|page=A1}}</ref> As a result, he enrolled in the recently created four-year [[JD–MBA|joint]] [[Juris Doctor]]/[[Master of Business Administration]] program coordinated between [[Harvard Law School]] and [[Harvard Business School]].<ref name="bg-harvard">{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/26/romneys_harvard_classmates_recall_his_quick_mind_positive_attitude/|title=The Making of Mitt Romney: Romney's Harvard classmates recall his quick mind, positive attitude|author=Pfeiffer, Sacha|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 26, 2007|access-date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123110046/http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/26/romneys_harvard_classmates_recall_his_quick_mind_positive_attitude/|url-status=live}}</ref> He readily adapted to the business school's pragmatic, data-driven [[Case method|case study method of teaching]].<ref name="nyt-harvard" /> Living in a [[Belmont, Massachusetts]], house with Ann and their two children, his social experience differed from that of most of his classmates.<ref name="bgseries4" /><ref name="nyt-harvard" /> He was nonideological and did not involve himself in the political issues of the day.<ref name="bgseries4" /><ref name="nyt-harvard" /> Romney graduated from Harvard in 1975. He was named a Baker Scholar for graduating in the top 5% of his business school class and received his [[Juris Doctor]] degree ''[[Latin honors#United States|cum laude]]'' for ranking in the top third of his law school class.<ref name="hewitt-46">Hewitt, ''A Mormon in the White House?'', p. 46.</ref><ref name="bg-harvard" />