Early Life and Education of Mitt Romney: A Complete Timeline
How education and upbringing influenced the life of Mitt Romney. A timeline of key moments.
Mitt Romney is an American businessman and former politician. He served as a U.S. Senator for Utah (2019-2025) and as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007). A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee for President of the United States in 2012, losing to incumbent Barack Obama. Prior to his political career, Romney had a successful business career, including co-founding Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm.
March 12, 1947: Mitt Romney Born
On March 12, 1947, Willard Mitt Romney was born. He is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from Utah and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts.
1953: Family Moved to Bloomfield Hills
In 1953, the Romney family moved from Detroit to Bloomfield Hills.
1959: Father Became Nationally Known
By 1959, Mitt Romney's father had become a nationally known figure.
1962: Participated in Gubernatorial Campaign
In 1962, Mitt Romney participated in his father's successful Michigan gubernatorial campaign.
1965: Attended Stanford University
In 1965, Mitt Romney attended Stanford University during the 1965-1966 academic year.
May 1966: Counterprotested at Stanford
In May 1966, Mitt Romney joined a counterprotest against a sit-in at Stanford's administration building.
July 1966: Began Missionary Work in France
In July 1966, Mitt Romney began a 30-month stint in France as a Mormon missionary.
May 1968: Student Uprisings
In May 1968, Romney experienced the May 1968 general strike and student uprisings while in France.
June 1968: Car Accident in France
In June 1968, while in southern France, Mitt Romney was seriously injured in a car accident that killed one of his passengers.
December 1968: End of Missionary Stint
By the end of December 1968, Mitt Romney was overseeing the work of 175 others, ending his stint in France. As a result of his experience there, Romney developed a lifelong affection for France and its people, and has remained fluent in French.
1968: Became Zone Leader
In early 1968, Mitt Romney became a zone leader in Bordeaux, and soon thereafter became an assistant to the mission president in Paris while serving as a Mormon missionary.
March 21, 1969: Married Ann Davies
On March 21, 1969, Mitt Romney married Ann Davies in a civil ceremony in Bloomfield Hills.
December 1969: Draft Lottery
During the December 1969 draft lottery, Mitt Romney drew number 300, ensuring he would not be drafted.
1969: Marriage to Ann Davies
In 1969, Mitt Romney married Ann Davies. The couple went on to have five sons together.
1970: Birth of First Son
In 1970, Mitt and Ann Romney's first son, Taggart, was born while they were undergraduates at BYU.
1971: Graduated from BYU
In 1971, Mitt Romney graduated from BYU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
1971: Graduation from Brigham Young University
In 1971, Mitt Romney graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
1971: Birth of Second Son
In 1971, Mitt and Ann Romney's second son, Matthew, was born.
1975: Graduated from Harvard
In 1975, Mitt Romney graduated from Harvard with a Juris Doctor degree cum laude and was named a Baker Scholar.
1975: Birth of Third Son
In 1975, Mitt and Ann Romney's third son, Joshua, was born.
1977: Counselor to the President of the Boston Stake
In 1977, Romney became a counselor to the president of the Boston Stake.
1978: Birth of Fourth Son
In 1978, Mitt and Ann Romney's fourth son, Benjamin, was born.
1981: Birth of Fifth Son
In 1981, Mitt and Ann Romney's fifth son, Craig, was born.
1981: Bishop of the Ward at Belmont, Massachusetts
In 1981, Romney served as bishop of the ward at Belmont, Massachusetts.
1984: Co-founded Bain Capital
In 1984, Mitt Romney co-founded Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm.
1984: Belmont Meetinghouse Fire
In 1984, after the destruction of the Belmont meetinghouse by a fire of suspicious origins, Romney forged links with other religious institutions, allowing the congregation to rotate its meetings to other houses of worship during the reconstruction of the Belmont building.
1986: President of the Boston Stake
From 1986, Romney was president of the Boston Stake, which included more than a dozen wards in eastern Massachusetts and almost 4,000 church members.
1986: End of Bishop Service
In 1986, Romney finished serving as bishop of the ward at Belmont, Massachusetts.
1992: Voted in Democratic Presidential Primaries
In 1992, Romney registered as an Independent and voted in the presidential primaries for the Democratic former senator from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas.
October 1993: Romney Changes Affiliation to Republican
In October 1993, Romney changed his affiliation to Republican, as he was preparing to challenge Ted Kennedy for his senate seat.
November 1993: Romney Takes Leave to Run for Senate
In November 1993, Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital to run for U.S. Senate.
February 1994: Romney Announces Senate Candidacy
In February 1994, Romney formally announced his candidacy to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. senator Ted Kennedy.
November 1994: End of Leave of Absence From Bain Capital
In November 1994, Romney's leave of absence from Bain Capital ended.
1994: End of Boston Stake Presidency
In 1994, Romney ended his time as the president of the Boston Stake.
1994: Stance on Abortion
In 1994, during his Senate campaign, Romney expressed his belief that "abortion should be safe and legal in this country."
1994: Romney Called Same-Sex Marriage a "State Issue"
While running for Senate in 1994, Romney described same-sex marriage as a "state issue".
February 11, 1999: Hired as CEO of Salt Lake Olympics
On February 11, 1999, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 hired Romney as its president and CEO.
February 1999: Romney Takes Leave for Salt Lake Olympics
In February 1999, Romney took a paid leave of absence from Bain Capital to serve as the president and CEO of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee.
1999: Filed Tax Returns as Utah Resident
In 1999, Romney filed state tax returns as a Utah resident, which was later used to challenge his eligibility to run for governor of Massachusetts in 2002.
2000: Filed Tax Returns as Utah Resident
In 2000, Romney filed state tax returns as a Utah resident, which was later used to challenge his eligibility to run for governor of Massachusetts in 2002.
March 19, 2002: Swift Withdraws and Romney Declares Candidacy
On March 19, 2002, Jane Swift announced she would not seek her party's nomination for governor and hours later Romney declared his candidacy.
June 2002: Romney's Eligibility Challenged
In June 2002, the Massachusetts Democratic Party challenged Romney's eligibility to run for governor. They noted that state law required seven years' consecutive residence and that Romney had filed his state tax returns as a Utah resident in 1999 and 2000.
2002: CEO of Salt Lake Organizing Committee
In 2002, Mitt Romney served as the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Winter Olympics.
2002: Romney Opposed Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
In 2002, Romney opposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
2002: Salt Lake City Olympics
In 2002, Romney served as the CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee.
2002: Reiterated Abortion Stance
In 2002, during his campaign for governor, Romney reiterated his stance that "abortion should be safe and legal in this country."
2002: 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics
In 2002, the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games where held, during which Mitt Romney was the CEO of the organizing committee.
2005: Shift in Abortion Stance
In 2005, Mitt Romney publicly described himself as "pro-life", stating that abortion should only be an option in cases of incest, rape, or to save the mother's life.
2005: Distinguished Alumni Award
In 2005, the Cranbrook School gave Romney its Distinguished Alumni Award.
2008: Ann Romney Diagnosed with Cancer
In late 2008, Ann Romney was diagnosed with mammary ductal carcinoma in situ and underwent a lumpectomy.
2009: Sold Primary Residence and Ski Chalet
In 2009, the Romneys sold their primary residence in Belmont and their ski chalet in Utah. They maintained an estate in New Hampshire and a home in San Diego.
February 2010: Minor Altercation on Airplane
In February 2010, Mitt Romney had a minor altercation with LMFAO member Skyler Gordy, known as Sky Blu, on an airplane flight.
July 2011: Secret Twitter Account Registered
In July 2011, the Twitter account 'Pierre Delecto' was registered, later confirmed in 2019 to belong to Mitt Romney.
2011: Romney Signed Pledge Against Same-Sex Marriage
In 2011, Romney signed a pledge promising to seek passage of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
2013: Number of Grandchildren
By 2013, Mitt and Ann Romney had 22 grandchildren and spent considerable time with them.
2017: Treated for Prostate Cancer
In the summer of 2017, Mitt Romney was treated for prostate cancer.
May 2018: Romney Revealed He Wrote-In Wife's Name on Ballot
In May 2018, Mitt Romney revealed that he had cast a write-in vote for his wife, Ann, in the election.
October 2019: Romney Revealed Secret Twitter Account
In October 2019, Mitt Romney revealed he used a secret Twitter account, later identified as "Pierre Delecto", to follow political conversations.
June 7, 2020: Romney Participated in Black Lives Matter Protest
On June 7, 2020, Mitt Romney became the first Republican senator to participate in a Black Lives Matter protest, expressing support for the movement against racism and police brutality.
September 2020: Comments on Supreme Court Nomination
In September 2020, Romney stated that the Republicans' decision to nominate and confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court before the 2020 presidential election was fair, referencing the Garland decision as consistent with historical precedent.
January 5, 2021: Romney Heckled at Airport
On January 5, 2021, Mitt Romney was heckled and harassed at the airport en route to Washington, D.C., by Trump supporters who accused him of not supporting Trump's claims of election fraud.
February 10, 2021: Video Showed Romney Saved by Officer Goodman
On February 10, 2021, during Trump's second impeachment trial, a video was released showing Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman diverting Mitt Romney away from the Capitol rioters on January 6.
2022: Romney Supported Respect for Marriage Act
In 2022, Romney reversed his previous position on federal marriage and voted to advance legislation to codify same-sex marriage into federal law by voting for the Respect for Marriage Act.
July 21, 2024: Statement on Biden's Withdrawal from 2024 Presidential Election
On July 21, 2024, Romney released a statement following President Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, respecting Biden's decision and stating it was in the best interest of the country.
