Romney's life is his father's legacy

BOSTON (AP)— From his slicked, carefully coifed hair to his data-driven business principles to his unwavering devotion to his oft-maligned Mormon faith, Mitt Romney is the spitting image of his father physically, professionally and morally.

The depth of their bond can be seen in one early story.

As an 18-year-old, Mitt Romney met a 15-year-old girl with whom he felt he could share his life. He then left for a year of college and a 2 1/2-year Mormon mission in France, during which time his father not only took his future wife, Ann Davies, to church, but converted her to their faith.

"Your gal looked lovely as always," George Romney wrote to his son in February 1967. "I sat next to her in church and asked if that ring of yours on her engagement finger meant what it usually means, and she said it did."

At the time, George Romney was governor of Michigan and former chairman of American Motors; Ann's father, Edward Davies, had a less lofty title as the part-time mayor of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where both families lived.

By the time Mitt returned in 1969, Ann's conversion was complete. Three months later the couple - he was 22, she 19 - married, first in a civil ceremony in Ann's home and the next day in the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City.

Today, as he runs for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney highlights his 38-year marriage, his five sons and the family life he's built with Ann - all tied to his father's influence.

"My dad is my life hero," said Romney, now 60. "I probably would have never thought about politics; it would have never crossed my mind, had I not seen him do it. He's the real pioneer."

Willard Mitt Romney was born on March 12, 1947, the youngest of George and Lenore Romney's four children. Although they lived a privileged life in the Detroit suburbs, Romney's parents sought to instill working-class values in their children by making sure they pitched in with chores. That routinely included waking them before dawn to shovel during snowstorms.

In the 1960s, Democrats dominated Michigan - no surprise given its vibrant labor movement thanks to the auto industry. What was a surprise was George Romney's success in being elected governor in 1962 as a Republican.

The father invited the son to strategy sessions, giving him a front row seat on the campaign.