Where Mitt learned his tricks: Vintage photo shows 17-year-old future politician at his father's side during 1964 GOP convention

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 15:58 EST, 22 September 2012 | UPDATED: 21:41 EST, 22 September 2012

Deep in the depths of a Californian newsroom, this black-and-white photograph lay forgotten for almost 50 years.

A young Mitt Romney was snapped attending a 1964 Republican Convention, bearing his easily recognisable smile, standing with his father, Michigan's Governor George Romney, and mother, Lenore.

Uncharacteristically coy, he hangs back as his father as he greets pint-sized admirers, no doubt picking up tips for his own career-to-be.

Happy families: Michigan's Governor George Romney offers a hand to little admirer Martha Mason, 6, and her sister Mary Ann, 9, in San Francisco with his son, Mitt, and wife, Leone

Happy families: Michigan's Governor George Romney offers a hand to little admirer Martha Mason, 6, and her sister Mary Ann, 9, in San Francisco with his son, Mitt, and wife, Leone

One young girl, nine-year-old Mary Ann Mason, beams as the Governor reaches out to shake hands with her and her sister, nine-year-old Martha.

 

More...

The Romneys were touring San Francisco as Governor Romney was trying to get support for a civil rights platform. 

Like father like son: Mitt Romney is the spitting image of his father

Like father like son: Mitt Romney is the spitting image of his father

The fresh-faced Romney junior was a high school senior at the time.

Photographs from the tour have been unearthed from the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and posted on the paper's blog by pop culture critic, Peter Hartlaub.

He described trawling through old images, searching for ones of a young Mitt, and likening it to a game of Where's Waldo.

'This game of Where’s Waldo — we’ll call it Where’s Willard — had a few improvements over its comic counterpart,' he wrote.

'The Chronicle photographers were still using larger film — and probably tripods. The images were crystal clear from great distances.

'Each state’s delegates held large signs above their heads, so I could narrow my search to Michigan.

'Mitt Romney, even one year four years away from voting age, was quite tall.'

And while he is today recognisable from his 17-year-old self, recent photographs of him show that the GOP Candidate has developed into the spitting image of his father.

From his sharp suits to his side-parted silver hair, Mitt has quite literally followed in his dad's footsteps, as he continues on a campaign trail of his own.

All eyes on Mitt: Romney junior need hang back no longer as he gives speeches on his own campaign tour

All eyes on Mitt: Romney junior need hang back no longer as he gives speeches on his own campaign tour

 

Comments (16)

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

...Also let me add for clarity, Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormon religion) was into politics and ran for the office of president himself, thou he did not get many votes. So, from the very beginning of the Mormon religion's history they have been into politics and the running of this country.

Click to rate     Rating   (0)

Report abuse

- John , Tulsa, 23/9/2012 18:39 And they are hardly taking control of the Government. Please elaborate on what you are trying to say. ++++++++++++++++ The reason it was commented that Mormons want control of the government has to do with the early comments and prophesies of Joseph Smith. If you research The White Horse prophesy you will find something like this: "That the time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow"; ... "if the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the elders of this Church." Also the church has always felt it was their mission to propagate their truth to the rest of the world and their has never been a separation with church and state from the Mormon perspective. The book of Mormon is the history of America during the time of Christ. I grew up Mormon... I know what they teach.

Click to rate     Rating   1

Report abuse

The video setting of Romney's "47% of Americans are victims" gaffe is going unnoticed. The video is framed by a polished bar top, brass bar fittings, and a tray of drink garnishes. Waitresses come up with empty trays and leave with full ones. They are caterers from the local Hotel, and clearly don't make the $24,500 cut off subject to federal income tax. Romney is sitting around a bunch of $50,000 a plate donors saying, "47% of Americans don't pay taxes.They are victims with a sense of entitlement. It's not my job to worry about them." He is grossly insulting the people who are there serving him drinks as if they were invisible. There's a cognitive dissonance about the guy. Counting all the unemployed, underemployed and those who have quit looking, it is still only 15% of the workforce. The remaining 32% of his 47% are struggling to get by. And this poncy toff is telling them they are victims not worthy of his attention. Clearly the bartender got the insult, and published the video.

Click to rate     Rating   5

Report abuse

"Where he learned his tricks?" What kind of headline is that? Would DM ever put such a headline on an Obama article?

Click to rate     Rating   7

Report abuse

Is this just before he did a runner to france to dodge the nam draft

Click to rate     Rating   7

Report abuse

Romney following his father's footsteps as a Republican. Same can be said for Obama fallowing his communist father's footsteps!

Click to rate     Rating   11

Report abuse

i would recognize that inane grin anywhwere

Click to rate     Rating   10

Report abuse

If you read their history and study their teachings, you will see that they have been working on taking control of the government for 150 years. 75% of the FBI's field agents are Mormon. MyOpinion ***** LOL!!! Thats a bit of exaggeration there. Not 75% by all means but there are many because of their integrity and attitudes. Most have served 2 year missions for their Church at their own expense and know other languages fluently. The FBI does not have to spend a lot of money on language training and rejection for background checks that they do when recruiting from local colleges. And they are hardly taking control of the Government. Please elaborate on what you are trying to say.

Click to rate     Rating   7

Report abuse

I'll take a man in the Presidency, Mitt Romney, who has "learned tricks" over one, Barack Obama, who is a chronic liar. Interesting how, to the Left, Liberals are always "the smartest ever" while Republicans are always engaged in "doing tricks" and other seedy descriptors, while, instead, in my history as a US citizen and voter, it is inevitably the Left, Democrats, who are the seedy side of character, not Republicans. Romney is an intelligent, capable and quite moral man. Obama cannot hold a candle to him as to character and ethics.

Click to rate     Rating   9

Report abuse

Where was all this investigative reporting when our current President ran for office or for that matter, where is it now? The current president must have some really serious things to hide and the legacy media is protecting him. Why else would all this biographical stories all go towards the Republicans?

Click to rate     Rating   10

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.