As president and chairman of the American Motors Corporation in the 1950s, George Romney (1907-1995) transformed the U.S. auto industry by putting the first compact car on the market. Later, after serving as a three-term governor of Michigan, he was thrust into the national arena and considered seeking the presidential nomination in 1968.

The career of George Romney is long and diverse. He worked as a sugar harvester as a child, was a Mormon missionary in his 20s, led a struggling automobile company, governed an industrial state for three terms, and served in President Richard Nixon's cabinet. He wore many hats and, as was said by his colleague John H. Chafee, former governor of Rhode Island, "in each of these he has been a success."

Son of Mormon Missionaries

George Wilcken Romney was born in the Mormon colonies of Chihuahua, Mexico on July 8, 1907. He was the fifth son...