cnn
—
Here's a look at the life of Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate.
Birthdate: March 26, 1960
Place of birth: Palo Alto, California
Birth name: Jon Meade Huntsman Jr.
Father: Jon Meade Huntsman Sr., billionaire chemical magnate
Mother: Karen (Haight) Hunter
Marriage: Mary Kaye Cooper (1983-present)
Children: Asha Bharati, adopted from India; Gracie Mei, adopted from China; William, Jon III, Elizabeth, Abigail and Mary Anne
Education: Attended the University of Utah, 1978-1980; University of Pennsylvania, BA in Political Science, 1987
Religion: Mormon
He dropped out of high school his senior year to play piano with local bands. The University of Utah, at that time, allowed completion of high school courses after admission.
He served a two-year Mormon mission to Taiwan.
He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.
He worked as a legislative intern for Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
His father owned the company that invented McDonald's Big Mac folding box.
The family-owned chemical company, Huntsman Corp., is a global company with subsidiaries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America.
Huntsman has served on numerous boards of directors, including Caterpillar Inc., the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, Hilton Worldwide and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
1982-1983 – White House Staff Assistant to President Ronald Reagan.
1983-1989 – Executive at Huntsman Corp.
1989-1990 – Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Business Development, Department of Commerce.
1990-1991 – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for East Asia and the Pacific.
1992-1993 – United States Ambassador to Singapore.
1995-2001 – President of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
2001-2003 – Deputy United States Trade Representative.
2001 – You get rid of most personal shares by becoming a business representative, including those held by your wife and those held in trust for your children.
2003-2004 – President and CEO of Huntsman Family Holdings Co.
2004 – Places personal assets, 1.5% of Huntsman Family Holdings Co., in blind trust during gubernatorial campaign.
2005-2009 – Utah's 16th governor, he resigns in 2009 to become US ambassador to China.
2005 – Sells all personal holdings in Huntsman Corp.
July 2006 – Endorses Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the 2008 presidential race.
2008 – He serves as national co-chairman of McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
August 7, 2009 – Huntsman is confirmed by the US Senate as US ambassador to China.
August 11, 2009-April 30, 2011 – Ambassador to China.
January 2011 – He delivers a letter of resignation to President Barack Obama, expressing his intention to leave the position of ambassador on April 30, 2011.
June 21, 2011 – Announces candidacy for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, the same place where Reagan launched his campaign in 1980.
October 18, 2011 – Boycotts the CNN/West Republican presidential debate out of deference to New Hampshire, which is locked in a political programming fight with Nevada.
January 16, 2012 – He is withdrawing from the Republican presidential race and endorsing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
January 26, 2012 – Huntsman is named president of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
June 20, 2012 – The Brookings Institution announces that Huntsman will be a distinguished fellow.
January 3, 2013 – The bipartisan political group No Labels names Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as leaders of the organization.
January 15, 2014 – The Atlantic Council appoints Huntsman as chairman of its board of directors.
September 3, 2014 – Huntsman tells the Deseret News that he feels same-sex marriage nationwide is “inevitable” and rules out another run for president in 2016.
July 18, 2017 – The White House announces that President Donald Trump has chosen Huntsman as the United States ambassador to Russia.
September 28, 2017 – Senate confirms Huntsman as ambassador to Russia.
November 1, 2018 – The Deseret News publishes an interview in which Huntsman reveals that he has stage one skin cancer.
August 6, 2019 – Huntsman sends his resignation letter to President Trump. His resignation will be effective October 3.
November 14, 2019 – He announces that he will run for governor of Utah in 2020.
February 7, 2020 – Huntsman announces Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi as his running mate in Utah gubernatorial race.
July 6, 2020 – Hunstman concedes the Republican primary race for Utah governor to Lt. Governor Spencer Cox.
September 8, 2020 – Chevron announces that Huntsman has been re-elected to its board of directors, effective September 15. Huntsman previously served on the board of directors from 2014 to 2017.
October 2020 – Re-elected member of the board of directors of Ford Motor Company, after having served on the board of directors from 2012 to 2017.
January 21, 2021 – Named president of the World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah), an organization that promotes the state's businesses globally.
March 11, 2024 – He is hired by Mastercard as vice president and president of strategic growth.
