Former Utah senator, governor and presidential nominee Mitt Romney spoke Sunday in an interview with CNN about the lessons he learned from his father, George W. Romney, about politics, family and faith.
‘You get into public service if you want do something’
Romney, who helped guide the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, said his father taught him the purpose behind working in politics.
“You get into public service if you want to do something. There’s some people today that get into public office because they want to be something ... that’s very sad,“ Romney said. ”If you’ve got a purpose, that’s the reason to get into politics, and I saw that with him.”
George Romney was the president of American Motors Corp., later serving as governor of Michigan for six years. The elder Romney also served as secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban Development. Mitt Romney said he learned integrity and sincerity from watching his father.
“Dad believed overwhelmingly in anything that he was part of,” he said. “I look at him, and he is my role model.”
Raising a family, Romney says, is ‘absolutely’ his greatest accomplishment
Beyond his political career, Mitt Romney said his greatest work is his family, and his role as a father is heavily influenced by the example of his dad.
“I was raised enormously wealthy, not in terms of money — although we had plenty — but in terms of the affection of my parents," Romney said.
Romney said he sought to raise his five sons with the same love he experienced in his home.
“I was lucky to have a dad like that, and I’m glad I can be as much like that as possible.”
Josh Romney, Mitt’s son, reflected on his relationship with his dad.
“I feel a lot the same way about him as he does about his dad,” Josh Romney said. “He has set such an incredible example for me and my brothers.”
Mitt Romney said he remembers asking his dad what he considered the most important accomplishment of his life. “Raising you four kids,” the elder Romney responded.
When asked if he felt the same about raising his family, Mitt Romney said, “Absolutely. There’s no question.”
Romney teaches his children and grandchildren to advocate for their faith
Romney said he taught his sons to follow the example set by their grandfather in religious pursuits as well.
“I thought it was important for each of my boys to be comfortable being different,” Romney said.
“One thing that’s actually an advantage of being in a relatively small religion is that you grow up knowing you’re different. It’s not your ambition to fit in with everybody, but instead to have your own convictions and to be able to stick by them and not worry about what other people think.”
Romney keeps this spirit alive by continuing his parents’ tradition of taking his grandkids on an annual summer roadtrip. This summer, Mitt Romney plans to take six of his 25 grandchildren to multiple national parks in southern Utah where they will hike, swim and “read scripture at night ... and say prayers together, very much in the same mold that my mom and dad did.”
