Q: Is it true that Mitt Romney’s great-grandfather Miles had five wives and Mitt’s father George was born in Mexico?
—Chuck Harper, Avondale Estates
A: Miles Park Romney, Romney's great-grandfather, moved to Mexico with a group of Mormons because they were not welcome in St. Johns, Ariz., and after the Edmunds Act of 1882, an anti-polygamy act, was passed. He had five wives and 30 children. One of those children was Gaskell Romney, who moved to Mexico with the family in 1885, but returned to the U.S. in 1912, during the Mexican Revolution. He had one wife and five sons, according to The Associated Press, one of whom was George Romney, the father of Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney, as the son of an American born in Mexico, is entitled to dual citizenship under Mexican law, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Q: I understand that Navy’s football game against Notre Dame was played in Ireland. Did taxpayers pay the way for the Navy players?
—Gene Turner, Sandy Springs
A: The Navy football team's trip to Ireland was paid for by the Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA), a non-profit organization "with the sole purpose of supporting the physical mission of the United States Naval Academy," a Naval Academy athletic spokesman told Q&A on the News in an email. Notre Dame defeated Navy 50-10 in the game played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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