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Ann Romney

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Ann Romney
Ann Romney in Des Moines on October 27, 2007.
Born
Ann Lois Davies

(1949-04-16) April 16, 1949 (age 75)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBrigham Young University
OccupationHomemaker
Known forwife of former Governor and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMitt Romney (1969-present)
Websitewww.AnnRomney.com

Ann Romney (born April 16, 1949[1]) is the wife of 2008 United States presidential election candidate Mitt Romney. From 2003 to 2007 she was First Lady of Massachusetts.

Born Ann Lois Davies,[2] she was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan,[3] to parents Edward[4] and Lois Davies. Her father was a businessman[4] and mayor of Bloomfield Hills,[3] and opposed to all organized religion,[4] although the family was nominally Episcopalian.[5] Ann Davies knew of Mitt Romney since elementary school.[6] She went to the private Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan;[7] it was the sister school to the all-boys Cranbrook School that he attended.[7] The two were re-introduced and began dating in March 1965;[6] they informally agreed to marriage after his senior prom in June 1965.[6][4] While he was attending Stanford University for a year and then was away starting two and a half years of Mormon missionary duty in France,[6] she converted on her own[3] to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[8] during 1966,[4] guided by Mitt's father George Romney, the Governor of Michigan.[4] She graduated from high school in 1967 and began attending Brigham Young University.[3]

Soon after his return from France, she and Mitt Romney were married on March 21, 1969[6] (her family could not attend the temple ceremony due to being non-Mormon, but attended another ceremony held for them[9]). Their first son was born in 1970[10] while both were undergraduates at Brigham Young,[11] living in a $75-a-month basement apartment.[12] When he graduated, the couple moved to Boston so that he could attend Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School; slowed down by parenthood, she later finished her undergraduate work by taking night courses at Harvard Extension School,[11] graduating in 1975[1] with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in French language.[13]

A stay-at-home mom,[14] Romney raised the family's five boys (born between 1970 and 1981[10]) and taught early morning scripture classes to them and other children[14] while her husband pursued his career, first in business and then in politics.[15] Her personality as a political wife was viewed as superficial and a detriment to her husband's losing effort in the 1994 U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.[14]

In 1998, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.[15] After a period of severe difficulty with the disease, a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments has given her a lifestyle mostly without limitations;[1] she initially used corticosteroids but then dropped them and other medications due to counterproductive side effects.[14] She is a board member for the New England chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,[13] and has been given the MS Society's Annual Hope Award.[8]

In January 2003, following her husband's successful campaign in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, she became First Lady of Massachusetts, position she held through January 2007. While Massachusetts First Lady, she was active in teenage pregnancy prevention efforts.[16] She has been involved in a number of children's charities, including being director of the inner city-oriented Best Friends,[13] and was given the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from Salt Lake City-based Operation Kids.[17] She has also served as Governor's Liaison to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives[13] and as a board member for the United Way of America.[13] The couple's primary residence has been in Belmont, Massachusetts,[13] but they also have homes in New Hampshire and Utah.[18]

Ann Romney with her husband, at a campaign stop in Altoona, Iowa on December 29, 2007.

She is an avid equestrian, crediting her renewed involvement in it while in Utah for much of her recovery after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis[15][19] and for her continued ability to deal with the disease.[14] She has received recognition in amateur dressage events at a national level,[14] including winning the 2006 Gold Medal[20] and 2005 Silver Medal at the Grand Prix level from the United States Dressage Federation.[13] She also sometimes competes in professional dressage events.[14]

Ann Romney has been an active campaigner in her husband's 2008 presidential campaign.[21] One past issue that arose involving her was her donation of $150 to Planned Parenthood in 1994.[22] By late 2007, she had become an integral part of his campaign, and was doing more trips and appearances on her own, despite the risk that added stress would aggravate her condition.[23] Her political message was often mixed with discussions of her family, her recipes, or managing her affliction;[23][14] a ghost-written autobiography,[14] Faith in the Family, was also in the offing.[23] Romney's television advertisements in the early primary states prominently featured her.[24] By the close of 2007, she was the most visible of all the Republican candidates' wives in campaigning,[14] and considered one of Mitt Romney's strongest assets.

References

  1. ^ a b c Susan Page, "Ann Romney's delicate balance wins her admirers", USA Today, 2007-07-18. Accessed 2007-09-22.
  2. ^ Photo caption, Associated Press, 2007-03-05. Accessed 2007-09-22.
  3. ^ a b c d Ronald Kessler, "Ann Romney: Mitt Has Always Been Pro-Life", NewsMax.com, 2007-05-23. Accessed 2007-09-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Neil Swidey and Michael Paulson, "The Making of Mitt Romney: Privilege, tragedy, and a young leader", The Boston Globe, 2007-06-24. Accessed 2007-09-22.
  5. ^ "Ann Romney: You Gotta Have Faith" ABC News, June 15, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Mitt Talks About Ann", Excerpts from November 2006 speech. Mittromney.com. Accessed 2007-09-21.
  7. ^ a b ""From prankster to politician, Romney deemed a class act"". Boston Globe. 2005-06-12. Retrieved 2007-09-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b "On the Road With Ann Romney", ABC News, 2007-02-14. Accessed 2007-09-21.
  9. ^ ""Romney's Mormon Question"". Time Magazine. 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  10. ^ a b Neil Swidey and Stephanie Ebbert, "The Making of Mitt Romney: Raising sons, rising expectations bring unexpected turns", The Boston Globe, 2007-06-27. Accessed 2007-09-22.
  11. ^ a b Jill Radsken, "Ann Romney on her choices, family, health and future", Boston Herald, 2002-12-08. Accessed 2007-09-21.
  12. ^ David Kirkpatrick (2007-11-15). "Romney, Searching and Earnest, Set His Path in '60s". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Ann Romney, official biography from MittRomney.com
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jodi Kantor (2007-12-16). "The Stay-at-Home Woman Travels Well". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b c "Ann Romney: From the Saddle to the Campaign Trail". ABC News. 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-08-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Darlene Superville (2007-10-02). "Some Women Who Could Be First Lady". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-10-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Operation Kids Presents Ann Romney with Lifetime Achievement Award", Operationkids.com, 2006-11-16. Accessed 2007-11-22.
  18. ^ Romney clarifies reports on hunting, Associated Press. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
  19. ^ Patricia Lasko, "Dressage Helps Romney Cope with Multiple Sclerosis", Dressage Today, May 2004. Accessed 2007-11-22.
  20. ^ "USDF Rider Awards List (Gold Medal)", United States Dressage Federation. Accessed 2007-11-22.
  21. ^ "Ann Romney in South Carolina: A Family Affair", ABC News, 2007-07-18. Accessed 2007-11-22.
  22. ^ "Romney's Wife Gave Money to Planned Parenthood", ABC News, 2007-05-09
  23. ^ a b c Jennifer Liberto (2007-11-21). "Romney's key ingredient". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-12-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Jim Kuhnhenn (2007-11-19). "Adwatch: Romney highlights family in Iowa and NH ads". Associated Press for Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-12-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Template:2008 Presidential Candidate Spouses

Preceded by First Lady/Gentleman of Massachusetts
2003 – 2007 		Succeeded by
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