Marion George Romney (September 19, 1897 – May 20, 1988) was an
apostle
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
and a member of the
First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church).
Early life
Romney was born in
Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua
Colonia Juárez is a small town in the northern part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Colonia Juárez is located in the valley of the Piedras Verdes River on the western edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and beneath the eastern front of the Sierr ...
, Mexico, to expatriated parents,
George S. Romney and Terressa Artemesia Romney ( Redd).
His father, George Romney, was the uncle of
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
governor
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...
, who was born in nearby Colonia Dublan. Marion Romney is the first cousin, once removed of
Mitt Romney. Terressa Redd was the daughter of Lemuel Hardison Redd and Sariah Louisa Chamberlain. Terressa and George married in 1894 in Colonia Juárez.
Romney was the second of ten children. His younger sister, Lurlene Romney Cheney, later converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and entered a religious order as Sister Mary Catherine, a
Carmelite nun at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in
Holladay, Utah
Holladay is a city in central Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area and abuts the Wasatch National Forest. The population was 31,965 at the 2020 census, a significant increas ...
.
Romney studied at
Academia Juárez
Academia Juárez, previously known as Juarez Stake Academy, is the oldest private high school owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is located in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Academia Juárez opened on S ...
until his family left Mexico in 1912, when violence from the ongoing Mexican revolution spread to their region. He lived with them for the remainder of his youth in California and Idaho. In 1917, the Romneys moved to
Rexburg, Idaho
Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 39,409 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statist ...
, where his father became principal of
Ricks Academy. Romney graduated valedictorian of Ricks high school in 1918.
From 1920 to 1923, Romney served as an
LDS Church missionary in
Australia. After returning, he worked in construction in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
for his uncle,
Gaskell Romney (father of George W. Romney).
Higher education and family
Romney studied at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
(BYU) for a year. While there, he renewed his acquaintance with Ida Jensen, a former teacher at Ricks and then a post-graduate candidate at BYU. Romney and Jensen married September 12, 1924, in the
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth templ ...
, officiated by
Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. (July 19, 1876 – July 2, 1972) was an American religious leader and writer who served as the tenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1970 until his death in 1972. He was t ...
.
Romney next studied at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
, receiving a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
political science and history in 1926. Romney studied law at the University of Utah, but did not complete course work there. He passed the Utah bar exam in 1929.
Romney and his wife had three children together; two died in infancy. Their son, George Jensen Romney, survived to adulthood. They also adopted a child, Richard Jensen Romney. George served an LDS Church mission. In April 1983, he delivered a
General Conference sermon written by his father. Ida Romney died in 1979 at age 88.
Church service and politics
Romney first worked for the post office, and later became an assistant prosecuting attorney in Salt Lake City. In 1934, he successfully campaigned for the
Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district conta ...
as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
. While campaigning, he was
called as an LDS Church
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
by
stake president
A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...
Bryant S. Hinckley. After his election, his bishop ordination was delayed until after the legislature's term in April 1935, with him seeking and serving only one term. While in the legislature, Romney helped author Utah's liquor control law.
General authority
Romney's 47 years as a
general authority of the LDS Church began as one of the first five
Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called to the new position in 1941. In 1951, he was called to the
Quorum of the Twelve
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the Council of the Twelve, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Council of the Twelve Apostles, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies or ( quorums) of the church hie ...
. In 1960, Romney helped develop the
home teaching program of the LDS Church.
In 1961, Romney was appointed area supervisor for the LDS Church in Mexico. Although he had lived his first fifteen years in Mexico, it was in the mainly American
Mormon colonies, and he knew very little
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
. Assisted by
Eduardo Balderas in learning Spanish, Romney supervised the church's growth in Mexico for the next eleven years. He oversaw construction of many meetinghouses in Mexico, along with organization of the first Spanish-language
stakes in Mexico.
Romney became Second Counselor to
church president Harold B. Lee in 1972.
Following Lee's death the following year,
Spencer W. Kimball became the church president and he retained Romney as the Second Counselor. As the First Presidency, Kimball, Tanner, and Romney announced the
1978 Revelation on Priesthood, canonized as "
Official Declaration 2" in the
Doctrine and Covenants.
When Kimball, Tanner, and Romney all aged and developed health problems at similar rates,
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...
was added as an additional counselor in 1981. Upon Tanner's death in 1982, Romney became First Counselor and Hinckley the Second Counselor, though Romney was relatively inactive in his position due to poor health. When Kimball died in 1985, press reports indicated that Romney had not been seen in public for many months.
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson (August 4, 1899 – May 30, 1994) was an American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower and ...
, who had been
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve (also President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President of the Council of Twelve Apostles, and President of the Twelve) is a leadership position that exists in some of the churches of the Latter Day Sai ...
, then became the church president and named Hinckley as First Counselor, with
Thomas S. Monson
Thomas Spencer Monson (August 21, 1927 – January 2, 2018) was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the re ...
as Second Counselor. Romney, as the apostle with the second-longest seniority in the church, became the quorum president. However, "because President Romney’s health
epthim from taking an active part in Church administration,"
Howard W. Hunter
Howard William Hunter (November 14, 1907 – March 3, 1995) was an American lawyer and the 14th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1994 to 1995. His nine-month presidential tenure is the shortest ...
, the next in seniority, served as
acting president
An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...
.
Romney died from
natural causes at his home in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
at age 90. He served 47 years as a church general authority. Funeral services were held in the
Salt Lake Tabernacle
The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...
on May 23, 1988, presided over by Benson. Romney was buried at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Salt Lake City,
Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park & Mortuary
beside his wife, approximately 10 years after her death. The ''Deseret News Church Almanac'' remembered him as a "renowned Church Welfare pioneer and Book of Mormon scholar".
See also
* Thomas E. McKay
* Nicholas G. Smith
References
General references
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romney, Marion G.
1897 births
1988 deaths
20th-century Mormon missionaries
American Mormon missionaries in Australia
American general authorities (LDS Church)
Apostles (LDS Church)
Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Brigham Young University alumni
Brigham Young University–Idaho alumni
Citizens of the United States through descent
Counselors in the First Presidency (LDS Church)
Doctrine and Covenants people
Latter Day Saints from California
Latter Day Saints from Idaho
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Democratic Party members of the Utah House of Representatives
Mexican emigrants to the United States
Mexican general authorities (LDS Church)
Mexican people of American descent
People from Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua
Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)
Romney family
University of Utah alumni
Utah lawyers