George Romney

George Romney is the father of Mitt Romney and the moral lodestar of Romney — A Reckoning. The book frames his 1968 presidential campaign as “noble, idealistic, maybe a little naive” — and felled by “his most admirable and self-destructive quality: a stubborn insistence on telling the truth.” His memory functions as both heroic parable and cautionary tale for Mitt: when George died, the ~1,200 who gathered for his funeral in Michigan “had not turned out to mourn a savvy businessman who excelled at outperforming quarterly profit expectations — they were mourning a public servant,” a contrast that pushed Mitt to question whether dealmaking and turnarounds were enough for his own life. In Becoming, Michelle Obama’s collection of quotes attributes the line “If not us, who? If not now, when?” to George Romney.

Context: George W. Romney (1907–1995) was CEO of American Motors, a three-term Republican governor of Michigan, a 1968 presidential candidate, and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Nixon. He was known for his civil-rights advocacy and his blunt independence — including a famous break with the party’s conservative wing.

Where this appears

• Romney — A Reckoning — central figure; his truth-telling campaign and funeral shape Mitt’s self-questioning and the book’s moral frame.
• Becoming — credited with the “If not us, who? If not now, when?” quotation in Michelle Obama’s notes.