George Samuel Romney (November 12, 1874 – December 19, 1935) was the president of Ricks Academy at the end of the First World War. He was a key figure in helping it to survive the postwar depression. Romney was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was born in

St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...

. When he was young his family moved to the Mormon colonies in Mexico so that his father could continue practicing

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more tha ...

, which was illegal in the United States. After marrying and having several children, Romney returned to the United States at the start of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, specifically to flee the disruptive activities of Pancho Villa. By 1917 Romney was a faculty member at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In the summer of that year Romney was appointed as principal of Ricks Academy to replace Andrew B. Christensen. In 1918, the school was granted state certification. It was then renamed Ricks Normal College. By the time students returned for Fall Semester they not only had a new name, but they were now led by a president. Under Romney's leadership the school instituted standards of dress and conduct that all students agreed to follow in 1922. In 1923, the name of the school was changed again to Ricks College, but Romney continued to lead it in its broadened mission. In 1930 Romney was replaced by

Hyrum Manwaring Hyrum Manwaring (June 23, 1877 – September 8, 1956) was the president of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho from 1930 to 1944. Ricks College was the precursor to today's Brigham Young University–Idaho, a private university operated by the Church o ...

. After his service as president of Ricks College, Romney served as president of the church's Northern States Mission. He died while serving in this position and was replaced by

Bryant S. Hinckley Bryant Stringham Hinckley (July 9, 1867 – June 5, 1961) was an American author, religious speaker, civic leader and educator. He served as a prominent mid-level leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 20th centur ...

. Romney's eldest son,

Marion G. Romney Marion George Romney (September 19, 1897 – May 20, 1988) was an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Early life Romney was born in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico ...

, became an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church. Romney's daughter, Catherine Romney Cheney, later became a cloistered nun in the Roman Catholic Church.''Salt Lake Tribune'', September 19, 2009, p. C2 Romney was an uncle of former Michigan governor George W. Romney.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romney, George S. 1874 births 1935 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints American Mormon missionaries in the United States Brigham Young University faculty Mission presidents (LDS Church) People from St. George, Utah Romney family Presidents of Brigham Young University–Idaho

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