Ann Davies

Ann Lois Romney, born Ann Lois Davies in 1949, is an American author and philanthropist. She is married to Mitt Romney, a politician and businessman. During her husband's term as Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007), she served as the First Lady of the state. Raised in Michigan, she converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1966 and later earned a degree in French from Brigham Young University. Romney has been actively involved in her husband's political campaigns and has dedicated herself to various charitable causes, particularly those focused on children.

In 1998, Romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She has spoken about managing the condition through a combination of conventional and alternative therapies, emphasizing the role of equestrianism in her recovery and continued well-being. Her personal experience with neurological challenges led to the establishment of the Ann Romney Center for Neurological Diseases in Boston, which focuses on research for multiple sclerosis and other brain conditions.

Born Ann Lois Davies in Detroit in 1949, she grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Her father, a Welsh immigrant, was a self-made businessman and former mayor of Bloomfield Hills. Though raised in Welsh Congregationalism, her father was opposed to organized religion, yet she occasionally attended church and identified nominally as an Episcopalian. She attended the private Kingswood School, where she knew Mitt Romney, who attended the sister school, Cranbrook. They began dating in 1965 and became engaged. While Mitt was on a missionary assignment in France, Ann converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1966, with guidance from Mitt's father, George Romney. She later attended Brigham Young University, studied abroad in France, and was involved in campus life.

Ann Davies married Mitt Romney in 1969, first in a civil ceremony and then in the Salt Lake Temple. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in French from BYU in 1975. As a stay-at-home mother, she raised their five sons. She faced some parental and peer criticism for her choices in marriage and family size during a time of burgeoning feminist movements. She was active in the PTA and the League of Women Voters. Her early political involvement included a successful run for town meeting representative in Belmont, Massachusetts, in 1977. She also played a significant role in her husband's 1994 U.S. Senate campaign, though the experience proved challenging and led to public scrutiny.

In 1998, Ann Romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition that significantly impacted her health. She has attributed her ability to live a life with few limitations to a blend of mainstream medical treatments, such as corticosteroids, and alternative therapies like reflexology and acupuncture. She has also found great benefit in equestrianism, stating that it was instrumental in her recovery and ongoing management of the disease. Her personal journey with neurological conditions inspired the creation of the Ann Romney Center for Neurological Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital, dedicated to researching multiple sclerosis and other brain disorders.

“My parents were questioning my choices, my peers were. But [...] I was pretty resolute, pretty confident in what I was doing.”

“There is huge merit in both Eastern and Western medicine, and I've taken a little bit from both.”

“I was very sick in 1998 when I was diagnosed. I was pretty desperate, pretty frightened and very, very sick. It was tough at the beginning, just to think, this is how I'm going to feel for the rest of my life.”

“I couldn't operate without Ann. We're a partnership. We've always been a partnership so her being healthy and our being able to be together is essential.”

“She saved my life”