President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to George Romney, the late governor of Michigan and secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Nixon administration. Romney’s son, former Sen. Mitt Romney, accepted the award on his father’s behalf during a ceremony in the White House Saturday.

The White House revealed early Saturday that President Joe Biden was awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 people, including two with Michigan connections: Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson and the late George Romney, who served three two-year terms as the state's governor.

Washington • With 16 days left in a political career that spanned a half-century, President Joe Biden on Saturday conferred one of the nation’s highest honors on core members of the political, financial and celebrity establishment of which he has long been a part.