Baby Romney
Willard Mitt Romney as an infant in an undated picture. Romney, the youngest son of George and Lenore Romney, was born in Detroit on March 12, 1947.
Home in the Hills
The Romneys at home on Balmoral Drive in Palmer Park, Mich., in 1952. Mitt's family moved from urban Detroit to the suburb of Bloomfield Hills when he was 5.
Early Trials
Mitt Romney sits in a Nash automobile in 1957. After attending a public elementary school, Mitt moved to a private boys' prepatory school, where he was the lone Mormon; he initially struggled in athletics and academics.
Political Legacy
George Romney and his son Mitt look out over the New York World's Fair grounds on May 18, 1964. George was elected to his first of three terms as governor of Michigan during Mitt’s sophomore year in high school. Internships with his father's campaign and the governor's office gave Mitt his first taste of politics.
Mission Calling
Mitt Romney, left, poses with his father George, center, and his brother Scott in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., in 1965. After studying for one year at Stanford, Mitt left for France in July 1966 to spend 30 months as a missionary — a traditional rite of passage for Mormons. He eventually rose through the ranks to become an
... assistant to the mission president in Paris. MORE
Mission
Romney, left, poses with a friend in France in the 1960s. The future presidential candidate spent more than two years living in Paris and Bordeaux in the ’60s, working as a Mormon missionary.
Mitt and Ann
Mitt with his longtime friend and sweetheart Ann Davies at their wedding. The young couple had a civil ceremony in Michigan before traveling to the Salt Lake Temple in Utah for a formal wedding. Both attended Brigham Young University, where Romney graduated in 1971 with a B.A. in English.
Family and Career Take Off
Mitt and his wife Ann pose with their children in 1982. Tagg, the couple's first son, was born in 1970. Matt, Josh, Ben and Craig soon followed. In 1975 Romney graduated with honors from Harvard's joint law and business program. After a brief stint at Boston Consulting Group, Romney went to work for Bain & Co. in 1977.
Bain Days
Romney works at the Bain & Co. offices in Boston on Nov. 10, 1993. After running a successful private-equity spin-off firm called Bain Capital in the 1980s, Romney returned to Bain & Co. to serve as CEO in the early ’90s.
Into the Lion's Den
Romney campaigns at North Station in Boston on Nov. 7, 1994. His first foray into politics was an ambitious one: he challenged Ted Kennedy, the U.S. Senate's iconic Liberal Lion, in the 1994 election in Massachusetts. Despite a wave of Republican victories in Congress, the Democratic icon thoroughly defeated Romney, 58%- 41%.
Olympic Champion
Romney speaks to reporters on Jan. 26, 2001, about the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In February 1999, Romney agreed to take charge of organizing the struggling 2002 Games as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. The event ultimately turned a $100 million profit.
Governor Romney
Romney arrives at a rally at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., on Oct. 1, 2002. With few strong candidates in contention, Massachusetts Republicans recruited Romney in 2002 to run for governor against Democratic state treasurer Shannon O'Brien, whom he beat by five points.
Oath of Office
Romney is sworn in as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts by Speaker of the House Tom Finneran and Senate President Robert Travaglini during ceremonies at the Statehouse in Boston on Jan. 2, 2003.
Commonwealth Care
Romney signs a landmark health care reform bill into law on April 12, 2006, during a ceremony at Faneuil Hall, in Boston. Designed around an individual health insurance mandate, Romney's efforts to overhaul Massachusetts' medical system later served as a model for Democrats' national reforms in 2010.
The National Stage
Romney campaigns at the Hamburg Inn restaurant in Iowa City, Iowa, on December 30, 2007. While serving out his first term as governor of Massachusetts, Romney decided to forgo re-election and seek the presidency full-time. On February 13, 2007, Romney formally launched his campaign, joining a crowded and competitive field of
... White House hopefuls. MORE
2008
Mitt Romney listens to John McCain answer a question during a Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, California, on January 30, 2008. Having served in blue Massachusetts, Romney found himself scrambling to the right in the Republican primary. His rivals jumped at the opportunity to paint him as inauthentic, and though
... he had several strong finishes, Romney ended his bid on February 7, 2008, endorsing McCain for President shortly thereafter. MORE
The Perpetual Campaign
Romney prepares to address a Foreign Policy Initiative forum at the W Hotel on Sept. 21, 2009, in Washington. Though Romney's 2008 candidacy nominally ended early that year, his work toward the White House never really ceased. After earning a reputation as a solid surrogate for John McCain, Romney spent two years raising
... money, endorsing Republican candidates, and generally doing the quiet work of laying track for his next bid. MORE
Health Reform Headache
Romney gives a speech on health care reform on May 12, 2011, at the Cardiovascular Center on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The similarity between health reforms Romney orchestrated in Massachusetts and those championed nationally by President Obama posed early trouble for the former's White
... House bid. In an attempt to quiet questions about his primary viability, Romney chose to address the issue head on in a highly touted speech at the University of Michigan medical school in spring of 2011. MORE
Front-Running
Romney speaks at the official launch of his presidential campaign at a farm in Stratham, New Hampshire, on Thursday, June 2, 2011. There was little question about Romney's intentions before he made his decision public in June. After two years of painstaking preparation, Romney entered the race at the front of the pack.
A Full Field
GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, greet each other at a debate in Iowa prior to the Iowa Straw Poll, which took place on August 13, 2011 in Ames. Despite his alpha status at the front of the pack, Romney escaped early debates mostly unscathed. But the late
... August entrance of Texas Governor Rick Perry saw Romney fall to second in many national polls and put the former front-runner on his heels.
MORE
Caucus Night in Iowa
Romney waves to his supporters during his caucus night rally following republican caucuses in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 3, 2012.
Rock Hill, South Carolina
People hold up photographs of Romney during a campaign rally at Winthrop University on January 18, 2012 in Rock Hill, S.C.
Snow in Kalamazoo
Romney leaves Western Michigan University after speaking there in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Feb. 24, 2012
Glitter Bomb
Romney and his wife Ann are "glitter bombed" for the first time as they make their way to the stage at a campaign stop in Eagan, Minn., February 1, 2012.
Debate in New Hampshire
Republican candidates Newt Gingrich, Romney and Rep. Ron Paul share the stage prior to their debate June 13, 2011 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.
Primary Night in Florida
Romney stands with his son Josh as he watches results for the Florida primary election at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 31, 2012.
Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin share a table at Schreiner's Restaurant during a campaign stop in Fond du Lac, Wis., March 30, 2012.
Naples, Florida
Romney listens as he is introduced at a campaign rally in Naples, Fla., Jan. 29, 2012.
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