Jon Huntsman, Jr.

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Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. taken at a January 2007 dinner function.


Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 2005
Lieutenant Gary R. Herbert
Preceded by Olene S. Walker

Born March 26, 1960 (1960-03-26) (age 48)
Palo Alto, California
Political party Republican
Spouse Mary Kaye Huntsman
Profession Politician
Religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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, with Gary R. Herbert as his lieutenant governor. He was elected with 57% of the vote over Democrat Scott Matheson Jr..[1] His term as the 16th governor of Utah began on January 3, 2005.

Huntsman is the son of billionaire businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman of Huntsman Corporation. His 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. He attended the University of Utah where he became a Sigma Chi and then went on to earn a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He 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).

Prior to his election, Huntsman served 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 as 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 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. He served an LDS mission in Taiwan and speaks fluent Standard Mandarin Chinese.

He has presided over the strongest economy in the State's history and has championed the largest increases in education funding in the State's history while simultaneously providing the largest income tax cut and one of the most significant tax reform packages in the State's history. Huntsman campaigned on paying for the expenses associated with the state's explosive growth rates by expanding the economy. He continues to make this one of his top priorities. Huntsman has also spoken in favor of providing health insurance to all Utahns and to preserving the environment for future generations.

Huntsman is also a self-proclaimed fan of the progressive rock genre and on July 30th, 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 (dreamtheater.net), Huntsman is a keyboard player.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Governor

[edit] Cabinet

Current as of April, 2007

OFFICE NAME TERM
Administrative Services, Executive Director Kim Hood 2006-present
John Nixon 2006-present
Agriculture, Commissioner Leonard Blackham 2005-present
Commerce, Executive Director Francine Giani 2005-present
Corrections, Executive Director Thomas Patterson 2007-present
Chief Information Officer J. Stephen Fletcher 2005-present
Environmental Quality, Executive Director Dianne Nielson 2005-present
Financial Institutions, Commissioner Edward Leary 2005-present
Health, Executive Director Dr. David N. Sundwall 2005-present
Human Resources, Executive Director Jeff Herring 2005-present
Human Services, Executive Director Lisa-Michele Church 2005-present
Insurance, Commissioner Kent Michie 2005-present
National Guard General Brian Tarbet 2005-present
Natural Resources, Executive Director Michael Styler 2005-present
Public Safety, Commissioner Robert Flowers 2005-2006
Scott T. Duncan 2006-present
Transportation, Executive Director John Njord 2005-present
Division of Fine Arts, Director Margaret Hunt 2005-present
Community and Culture, Executive Director Yvette D. Diaz 2005-2006
Palmer DePaulis 2006-present
Workforce Services, Executive Director Kristin Cox 2007-present


[edit] Executive Boards and Commissions

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Utah election results 2004", The Washington Post, November 24, 2004. 

[edit] External links


Preceded by
Olene S. Walker
Governor of Utah
2005present
Incumbent