Mitt Romeny was born in Detroit on March 12th 1947.
His mother Lenore gave up an acting career when she met and married his father George.
Mitt married his wife Ann in 1969 – the two having first met in elementary school.
Between them they have 5 sons and 18 grandchildren.
After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1971 he earned dual degrees from Harvard Law and Harvard Business School.
Mitt then went on and founded the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984.
Not a career politician
His wife Ann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and more recently fought a battle with breast cancer.
Mitt himself admits he is not a career politician, having spent most of his life in the private sector.
In 1999 the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was on the verge of collapse when Mitt was asked to take over.
He trimmed the budget, restored public confidence and oversaw security mobilization to assure the safety of the athletes.
He was then elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002.
By 2007 at the end of his term, the state had accumulated a US$2 billion ‘rainy day fund’ in its coffers.
Watch a video about Mitt below:
