Lenore Romney

Lenore LaFount Romney (born Lenore LaFount, November 9, 1908 – July 7, 1998) was an American politician and actress. She was the wife of businessman and politician George Romney and the First Lady of Michigan from 1963 to 1969.

She was the Republican Party nominee for the U.S. Senate elections in 1970 from Michigan. Her youngest son, Mitt Romney, is the former Governor of Massachusetts and the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

Early life
Lenore LaFount was born in Logan, Utah, and raised in Salt Lake City. She went to Latter-day Saints High School. While there, she developed an interest in drama and met George Romney.

She attended the University of Utah and George Washington University, graduating from the latter in 1929. She studied acting at the American Laboratory Theatre in New York, then went to Hollywood where she became a bit player.

Career
She acted in some movies with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Turning down a contract offer with them, she married George Romney in 1931. The couple had four children together. She was a stay-at-home mother, eventually living in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, while he became a success in business and politics. She ran for the United States senate, but lost the election.

Death
Romney died on July 7, 1998 in Royal Oak, Michigan from a stroke, aged 89. She was buried next to her husband at the Fairview Cemetery in Brighton, Michigan.

Other websites

 * "Lenore", the half-hour film from the 1970 U.S. Senate campaign
 * Finding Aid for Lenore LaFount Romney Papers, 1960–1974 at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan