Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Jon Huntsman, Jr. has been the governor of Utah, and in 2009 decided to leave his seat in order to serve as America’s ambassador to China, as requested by U.S. President Barack Obama. Huntsman is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon or LDS Church. He served a mission in Taiwan and speaks fluent Standard Mandrin Chinese. He also lived with his family in Washington, D.C. when his father, Jon Huntsman, Sr., was a mission president there.
Huntsman was born March 26, 1960, in Palo Alto, California. He was elected governor of Utah in the 2004 election, with Gary R. Herbert as his lieutenant governor. He was elected with 57% of the vote over Democrat Scott Matheson Jr.. His term as the 16th governor of Utah began on January 3, 2005.
He is a republican, with fiscal conservative views and supports free trade. He is an outspoken advocate of Utah’s strong role and potential on the global trade market. Huntsman made news in August 2005 when he said that he was opposed to intelligent design being taught in the classroom. He is also proponent of a flat-tax, tax cuts, and the removal of sales tax on food.
He is the son of billionaire businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman, Sr. of Huntsman Corporation, who is also a general authority in the Church. His maternal grandfather is Elder David B. Haight, an Apostle. He attended the University of Utah where he became a Sigma Chi and then went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Governor Huntsman is a seventh generation Utahn; his wife Mary Kaye is a first generation Utahn and loves wearing the color pink. Together they have seven children, two of whom are adopted from China and India.
Prior to his election, Governor Huntsman served as a White House Staff Assistant in the Reagan Administration. Governor Huntsman again served his country as a U.S. Ambassador to Singapore in the administration of President George H.W. Bush and as a trade minister to East Asia in the George W. Bush Administration. Prior to his public service, Governor Huntsman served as an executive for Huntsman Corporation, the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and Huntsman Family Holdings Company. Other organizations he has served include the Utah Opera, Envision Utah, the Coalition for Utah’s Future, and KSL’s Family Now Campaign.
Governor Huntsman has consistently received high poll ratings from both sides of the aisle and was considered by some polling experts as one of the most popular Governors in the United States of America.
Huntsman served on the Western Governors University’s board of trustees.