Lenore Emily LaFount (1908-1998)
Wife of George Wilcken Romney (1907-1995) - Governor of Michigan and 3rd Secretary for US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mother of US Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney.
Vital Statistics[]
- Daughter of Harold Arundel LaFount (1880-1952) and Alma Luella Robinson (1882-1938)
- 1908-Nov-09 : Birth in Logan, Cache Co, Utah USA
- 1931-July-02 : Marriage to George Wilcken Romney (1907-1995), her
high school sweetheart, at Salt Lake City, Utah USA
- 1954-1962 : Husband - CEO of AMC Motor Corporation - Automobile Industrialist
- 1954 (EST) : Husband - President of the Detroit Michigan Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- 1963-1969 : First Lady of the State of Michigan - Husband Governor
- 1972 : Candidate for Michigan's US Senate Seat
- 1998-July-07 : Died at Bloomington Hills, Oakland Co, Michigan USA - buried with her husband in Fairview Cemetery.
Biography[]
An excellent biography for George is already presented on Wikipedia. This article will focus on Family History.
Romney was born Lenore LaFount in Logan, Utah, the daughter of Alma Luella (née Robison; 1882-1938) and Harold Arundel LaFount (1880-1952). Her father was born in Birmingham in England, and her mother, born in Montpelier, Idaho, was of colonial English ancestry. Her father was a major poineer in the radio industry.
In her junior year, Lenore LaFount and senior George W. Romney became high school sweethearts; she was from a more well-assimilated Mormon family.
After Calvin Coolidge appointed her father to serve on the Federal Radio Commission, LaFount moved to Washington with her family, followed by Romney.LaFount, who was an aspiring actress, had the opportunity to sign a $50,000, three-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, but Romney convinced her to return to Washington where he worked for Alcoa and the Aluminum Wares Association as a lobbyist. Lenore LaFound married George Romney on July 2, 1931 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had four children, Lynn, Jane, G. Scott Romney, and politician Mitt Romney, who was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002.
In Washington, Lenore's cultural refinement and hosting skills helped him in business, and the couple met the Hoovers, the Roosevelts, and other prominent Washington figures.
The couple later moved to Michigan, where George Romney worked as a nationally visible automobile executive. In 1954, Romney was named Chairman and CEO of the American Motors Corporation.
Children of George Romney and Lenore LaFount[]
- Lynn Romney Keenan (living)
- Jane Romney (living)
- G Scott Romney (b 1941) - an American Republican politician and lawyer in the state of Michigan. He formerly sat on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Romney lost his bid for the nomination to become Michigan Attorney General in 1998.
- Mitt Romney (1947-) - an American Republican politician, US Presidential Candidate, former governor of Michigan, chairman of the 2004 Winter Olympics Committee
Reference Links[]
- Romney Family Ancestry
- Romney-Huntsman-Pratt-Eyring-Kimball Family Tree - Major political-religious-scientific connections of the descendants of Jared Pratt.
- Biography of Lenore Romney - Wikipedia
- Biography of G.W. Romney - Wikipedia
- George W. Romney Institute of Public Management
- Boston Globe Magazine, Lessons of the Father