Willard Romney was born in Detroit on March 12, 1947.  He was called “Billy” until he reached kindergarten and decided to go with “Mitt” after taking a dump in the sandbox. Young Mitt enjoyed a childhood of privilege. His dad, George Romney, was an auto exec who later went on to become the 43rd Governor of Michigan.

In 7th grade, Mitt went to an elite prep school. Although he was an effective manager of the hockey team and a serviceable pep squad member, Mitt didn’t really excel at anything. As a result, he got accepted to Stanford University. In college, he broke loose and rebelled against the counter-cultural movement — keeping his hair short, not drinking, and protesting anti-Vietnam War sit-ins. Despite his strong views however, the hawkish young man never served in the Vietnam War. Instead, he chose to embark on a different mission.