Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. (born March 26, 1960 in Palo Alto, California) is the governor of the state of Utah, having won the office in the 2004 election. His term as the 16th governor of Utah began on January 3, 2005.

Early life and education

Huntsman is the son of billionaire businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman of Huntsman Corporation. He attended the University of Utah, where he was a Sigma Chi. He received a Bachelor's degree in business from the University of Pennsylvania after transferring to that school.

He served an LDS mission in Taiwan and speaks fluent Standard Mandarin Chinese.

Career

After college, Huntsman worked as a White House staff assistant in the Reagan Administration, U.S. ambassador to Singapore in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, and a deputy United States trade representative in the George W. Bush Administration.

In addition to his public service, Huntsman served as an executive for the Huntsman Corporation, the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and CEO of Huntsman Family Holdings Company. Other organizations he has served include the Utah Opera, Envision Utah, the Coalition for Utah's Future, and KSL-TV's Family Now campaign.

In November 2004, Huntsman was elected with 57% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party nominee Scott Matheson, Jr..

Personal

Huntsman's maternal grandfather David B. Haight was an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Huntsman and his family are also members. Huntsman has eight brothers and sisters and over 60 nieces and nephews on his side of the family.

Huntsman is a seventh-generation Utahn; his wife Mary Kaye is a first-generation Utahn. Together they have seven children: Mary Anne (b. 1985), Abigail (b. 1988), Elizabeth (b. 1989), Jon III (b. 1991), William (b. 1993), Gracie Mei (b. 2000) who is adopted from China, and another baby girl from India, Asha Bharati (b. 2006).

Huntsman is also a self-proclaimed fan of the progressive rock genre and on July 30, 2007, attended a concert by progressive metal band Dream Theater. Later that day, Huntsman signed a proclamation creating "Dream Theater Day" on that date for the state of Utah. According to Dream Theater's website, Huntsman is a keyboard player.

Political Policies

As governor, Huntsman lists economic development, healthcare reform, education, and energy security as his top priorites. He has overseen large tax cuts and has advocated reorganizing the way that services are distributed so they the government will not become overwhelmed by the state's fast growing population. Huntsman would like to expand healthcare, mainly through the private sector, by using tax breaks and negotiation to keep prices down. He also advocates encouraging people with insurance to use it as preventive care. The governor also sees Utah as being uncompetitive with the rest of the nation in terms of securing the best teachers.

Huntsman is receptive to environmental issues and would like the state to reduce fuel and energy consumption. He is also concerned with nuclear waste being stored within his state. On hot button social issues, such as abortion, gay marriage, and gun control, Huntsman generally walks a more conservative line. He also defines his taxation policy as "business friendly."