As Willard Mitt Romney continues to hone his relentless and inexorable assault on the GOP Presidential nomination, the consensus is rounding into the notion that it really is a foregone conclusion that Governor Romney will eventually claim the big prize, i.e., his Party’s title of nominee. Consistent with his nearing the wrap-up of the preliminary festivities, in fact, if not in practice, there will be an every increasing focus on Mitt the man.
This post will be brief, in part because I am on the road, but also because there will be many future opportunities to discuss Mr. Romney. Moreover, while I will introduce for some, and expound upon for others, a couple of underexposed facets of the Romney family history, allow me to be clear, neither of these issues projects as a major talking point for the coming fall campaign between Governor Romney and President Obama. Moreover, I do not suggest that they should be elevated to such a level. However, when they just happen to get pushed out as part of some broader conversation, you can say to your self…or to whoever may be listening, “I knew that!”
It is fairly common knowledge that the former Governor is member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the LDS Church and, more commonly referred to as the Mormon Church). In fact, the Romney family has a long-standing history of involvement in the Mormon Church.
Ok, so you knew that. But did you know, Mr. Romney held the title Bishop, in the Mormon Church? Probably not, but back in the 80’s while heading Bain Capital, Romney also led a local Mormon ward (congregation) in
Contemporary news accounts often refer loosely to Romney’s past role as a former church leader in the Mormon Church. This post is not intended as a slam; but rather seeks to put a finer point on precisely what that term meant. While church leader sounds rather nondescript, the fact is it is a characterization that should be translated literally. In essence, he led the local congregation, and eventually assumed responsibility for several congregations in the region. Certainly, this is not a factoid that is likely to influence whether you vote for Romney; but any dossier would be incomplete without that piece of information.
Another interesting, though non-critical Romney point of reflection concerns his familial ties, not just with the Mormon Church, but with the practice (now frowned upon by the LDS Church), of polygamy. The
In the broad sense, this seems a casual connection at best. However, it is somewhat more than that. At least two of Mr. Romney’s forebears were practicing polygamists. His great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney had five wives; his great-great-grandfather, Parley Parker Pratt practiced plural marriage and had twelve wives. In addition to multiple spouses, Pratt had thirty children, and 266 grandchildren. In 2011, Pratt's living descendants were estimated at between thirty and fifty thousand.
The historical convergence of Mormonism and polygamy is worth a longer look than I will take in this post. But there is one morsel that I simply had to include. You will undoubtedly recall Jon Huntsman; former Utah Governor, and an early casualty in the GOP dash for the Party’s nomination. In addition to being Mr. Romney’s Great-great grandfather, Parley Parker Pratt is Mr. Huntsman’s great-great-great grandfather. What a man, what a man!
Certainly, each and every American President has his own unique story. Undoubtedly many are just as, if not more compelling as Mr. Romney’s. President Obama’s comes to mind immediately. And rest assured he will be the focus of future posts. But for today, it’s all about Mitt. Of course, that is not to be confused with all there is about Mitt. Consider this a brief introduction to “Mitt Romney: The Bishop Whose FamilialLegacy Includes Polygamy!”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment