Ann Romney Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

What is Ann Romney’s net worth?

Ann Romney is an American author and philanthropist who has a net worth of $300 million. That is a combined net worth with her husband since 1969, politician and businessman Mitt Romney.

While Mitt attended Harvard for his JD/MBA, Ann studied at Brigham Young University, though she eventually took a leave to raise their growing family. Her role as a full-time mother would later become both a point of pride and controversy during her husband’s political campaigns, sparking national discussions about women’s roles and choices. Her involvement in politics increased alongside her husband’s career, playing crucial roles in his successful campaign for Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007) and his presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. During the 2012 presidential campaign, where Mitt was the Republican nominee, Ann emerged as one of the campaign’s most effective surrogates. Her speech at the Republican National Convention was widely praised for humanizing her husband and connecting with voters.

In 1998, Ann Romney faced a significant personal challenge when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The diagnosis came during a particularly difficult period, as she had been experiencing severe symptoms that affected her balance and energy levels. Her battle with MS became a defining part of her personal story, and she has since become an advocate for MS research and awareness. Beyond politics, Romney has established herself as an author and philanthropist. She published her memoir “In This Together: My Story” in 2015, which details her journey with MS and her life in the public eye. In 2014, the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases was established at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, dedicated to research on MS, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors. Ann is also an accomplished equestrian, having trained in dressage as part of her MS therapy. Her involvement in the sport reached a competitive level, and her horse Rafalca competed in the 2012 Olympics, though ridden by another rider, Jan Ebeling.

Early Life

Ann Romney was born Ann Lois Davies on April 16, 1949, in Detroit, Michigan. She is the daughter of Lois and Edward Davies, and she grew up with two brothers in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Edward was from Wales, and in the 1940s, he co-founded Jered Industries, a company that made heavy machinery for marine use. He was also the Mayor of Bloomfield Hills.

After being raised as a Welsh Congregationalist, Edward became opposed to organized religion, but the family occasionally attended church at Ann’s request. She attended the private school the Kingswood School, the sister school to the Cranbrook School, which Mitt Romney attended.

Ann and Mitt started dating in March 1965 and informally agreed that they would marry after his senior prom in mid-1965. After graduation, Mitt spent a year at Stanford University before traveling to France for a 2.5-year missionary stint. In 1966, Ann decided to convert to Mormonism, and Mitt’s father, the Governor of Michigan, included her in family events during Mitt’s absence.

After graduating from high school in 1967, Ann enrolled at Brigham Young University. She spent her second semester studying abroad at France’s University of Grenoble and met athletes like skier Jean-Claude Killy during the 1968 Winter Olympics. Due to Mormon missionary rules, she was only allowed two brief visits with Mitt as well as an occasional phone call. When she returned to BYU, Ann dated fellow student Kim S. Cameron, who later became the associate dean of the school’s Marriott School of Management. She mentioned Kim in a letter to Mitt, and since it was common for missionaries to receive “Dear John” letters during their time away, he sent Ann letters in which he asked her to wait for him.

Politics

In 1977, Ann ran for office in Belmont, seeking the position of town meeting representative. After studying local issues and campaigning door-to-door, she won the election. Ann was partially responsible for Mitt deciding to run in the 1994 U.S. Senate election, which he lost to incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy. She campaigned for Mitt during that election and in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, and she served as the First Lady of Massachusetts from January 2003 to January 2007.

Ann was the president of the Doric Docents, a group of volunteer tour directors who inform State House visitors about the building’s history and architecture. During her time as the First Lady of Massachusetts, she was active in efforts to prevent teenage pregnancy.

In 2005, Mitt appointed Ann head of a new office dedicated to helping Massachusetts’ faith-based groups receive more federal funds. The office was associated with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Ann was active in Mitt’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, making several appearances and trips on her own, and she gave a speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Ann returned to the campaign trail to support Mitt in the 2018 United States Senate election, and Mitt took office as one of Utah’s senators in January 2019.

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Personal Life

Ann married Mitt Romney on March 21, 1969, in a civil ceremony at her home, and the reception took place at the Bloomfield Hills Country Club. More than 250 guests attended, including U.S. House Minority Leader Gerald Ford, who would become the 38th President of the United States a few years later. The next day, the newlyweds flew to Utah and had a wedding ceremony at the Salt Lake Temple. Ann’s parents couldn’t attend because they weren’t Mormons (though her mother later converted). The couple has welcomed five sons, Taggart (born 1970), Matthew (born 1971), Joshua (born 1975), Benjamin (born 1978), and Craig (born 1981). Mitt transferred to BYU after returning from France, and Tagg was born while they were undergraduates. After Mitt graduated, the family relocated to Belmont, Massachusetts, where he attended the Harvard Business School / Harvard Law School Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration program. Ann finished her degree by taking night courses at the Harvard University Extension School. She earned a B.A. degree with a concentration in French language in 1975. Ann became a stay-at-home mother, and she taught seminary classes to children while Mitt worked. She also participated in the PTA and League of Women Voters.

In 1997, Ann began suffering from fatigue and extreme numbness along with other symptoms. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November 1998. She said of that time in her life, “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.” She has managed her condition through a combination of traditional medicine and alternative therapies, including horse riding, which she credits as being particularly therapeutic. In 2008, she was diagnosed with the non-invasive breast cancer mammary ductal carcinoma in situ, and she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Ann is a member of the board of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s New England chapter. She has been involved with several children’s charities and was an honorary board member of the parent education program Families First. Ann has also volunteered with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and she eventually became a board member, was on the organization’s Faith in Action Committee, and helped establish United Way Faith and Action.

Equestrianism

Ann has credited horse riding with giving her “joy and a purpose” after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and she stated, “When I was so fatigued that I couldn’t move, the excitement of going to the barn and getting my foot in the stirrup would make me crawl out of bed.” She won the 2005 Silver Medal and 2006 Gold Medal from the United States Dressage Federation at the Grand Prix level. In 2004, Ann and her California-based trainer, Jan Ebeling, qualified for the Pan-Am games. Ann and Mitt helped fund Jan’s aspirations for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and Ebeling earned a spot on the U.S. dressage team riding a horse, Rafalca, co-owned by the couple. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Ann was in attendance to see Jan and Rafalca come in 28th place.

Awards and Honors

In 2014, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Central New England Chapter honored Romney with the MS Society Inspiration Award, and she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the charitable organization Operation Kids. In 2008, Ann and Mitt were presented with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty’s Canterbury Medal, which is given to “those who refuse to compromise their principles and faith, and do so ‘resolutely’.” In 2019, Romney received the American Brain Foundation’s Public Leadership in Neurology Award for her “invaluable leadership in the fight to defeat multiple sclerosis and all neurologic diseases.” Ann has received honorary degrees from Mount Ida College (2005) and Southern Utah University (2014).

Real Estate Portfolio

Mitt and Ann own a valuable personal real estate portfolio. They own at least six properties around the country. In 2008, they paid $12 million for a beachfront mansion in La Jolla, California. They tore the home down and built an 8,000-square-foot mansion on the lot. In July 2021, they sold this home for $23.5 million. In 2022, the Romneys put their 8,730-square-foot mountain lodge in Park City, Utah, on the market for $11.5 million.