Romney bows out, leaving a legacy that would make his father proud

When I met Mitt Romney, we were aboard a six-seater chartered jet headed for Iowa. It was 2007, and he was a former Massachusetts governor embarking on a bid for the presidency.

What was on his mind that morning was a four-decade-old letter he had come across the day before as he was searching through family mementos for old photos that his campaign had requested. The letter was from his father and was about standing up for what was important — even, or maybe especially, when it goes against the...