| Jon Huntsman | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office August 11, 2009 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
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| Preceded by | Clark Randt |
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| In office January 3, 2005 – August 11, 2009 |
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| Lieutenant | Gary Herbert |
| Preceded by | Olene Walker |
| Succeeded by | Gary Herbert |
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| In office 1992 – 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Orr |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Boyce |
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| Born | March 26, 1960 Palo Alto, United States |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Kaye Huntsman |
| Children | Mary Anne Huntsman Abigail Huntsman Elizabeth Huntsman Jon Huntsman III William Huntsman Gracie Mei Huntsman Asha Bharati Huntsman |
| Alma mater | University of Utah University of Pennsylvania |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American politician and diplomat. He is the current United States Ambassador to China. He previously served as Governor of Utah from 2005 until his resignation on August 11, 2009.[1]
Contents |
Early life and education
Born in Palo Alto, California, Huntsman is the son of billionaire businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman of Huntsman Corporation. Huntsman dropped out of high school to be in a rock 'n' roll band.[2] He attended the University of Utah, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania after transferring to that school.
He served an LDS mission in Taiwan and speaks Standard Mandarin Chinese fluently.[3] He is also fluent in Taiwanese Hokkien.[4]
Career
From 1987 to 1988, Huntsman and his family lived and worked in Taipei. After college, Huntsman worked as a White House staff assistant in the Reagan Administration, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and 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 Governor of Utah with 57% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party nominee Scott Matheson, Jr.[5] He was re-elected in November 2008 with 77.7% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party nominee Bob Springmeyer.
During his tenure as governor, Utah was named the best managed state by the Pew Research Center.[6]
President Barack Obama nominated Jon Huntsman to serve as the United States Ambassador to China on May 16, 2009, noting his experience in the region and proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. Huntsman was the only ambassador of the Obama Administration to be introduced by the President at a White House event. His nomination has garnered very positive reactions from China and the U.S. Senate.[7] His nomination was formally delivered to the Senate on July 6, 2009. Huntsman appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 23, 2009,[8] which favorably reported his nomination to the full Senate on August 4, 2009.[9] On August 7, 2009, the Senate unanimously confirmed Huntsman.[10] Huntsman resigned as Governor of Utah and was sworn in as Ambassador to China on August 11, 2009.[11]
Huntsman arrived in Beijing on August 21, 2009 to begin his assignment and he delivered his first press conference on August 22 after a meeting with Commerce Minister Chen Deming.[12] At his first meeting with the press, he announced the news that President Obama would visit China in mid-November.[13] He presented his credentials to President Hu Jintao on August 28 and also presented with a commemorative book on Chicago, "in support of the city's bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games".[14]
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 Utahan; his wife Mary Kaye is a first-generation Utahan. Together they have seven children: Mary Anne (b. 1985), Abigail (b. 1986), 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. Huntsman also joined REO Speedwagon on the piano for two songs during their concert at the Utah State Fair on September 16, 2005.
Huntsman has been awarded four honorary doctorate degrees.[15]
Political views
As governor, Huntsman listed economic development, health-care reform, education and energy security as his top priorities. He has overseen large tax cuts and has advocated reorganizing the way that services are distributed so that the government will not become overwhelmed by the state's fast growing population. Huntsman would like to expand health-care, 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.
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 and gun control, Huntsman generally walks a more conservative line. The same is somewhat true for gay marriage, though he has shown support for civil unions.[16] He also defines his taxation policy as "business friendly."[17] Huntsman has spoken out against his own party over the failure of the Republican-controlled State Senate to confirm his nominee for the Utah Court of Appeals. The governor also sees Utah as being uncompetitive with the rest of the nation in terms of securing the best teachers.[18]
Huntsman's name has appeared on some lists of potential Republican nominees for the 2012 presidential election,[19],[20] and John McCain has gone so far as to mention his name as a potential candidate for the 2012 election as well.[21]
Huntsman has repeatedly stated, "We need to continue working closely with China to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.” He has also named Taiwan, human rights, and Tibet among the “areas where we have differences with China” and vowed “robust engagement” on human rights if confirmed. The governor, who lived in Taiwan as a Mormon missionary, said he felt “personally invested in the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences, in a way that respects the wishes of the people on both Taiwan and the mainland.” He said that current US policy “supports this objective, and I have been encouraged by the recent relaxing of cross-strait tensions.”[22]
See also
- Utah gubernatorial election, 2004
- Utah gubernatorial election, 2008
- List of U.S. political appointments that crossed party lines
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ 2-Min. Bio: Jon Huntsman: Obama's Nominee for Ambassador to China
- ^ Utah's GOP Governor Chosen as China Envoy
- ^ Hoklo-speaking diplomat aims for realistic PRC ties
- ^ "Utah election results 2004". The Washington Post. November 24, 2004. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/ut/.
- ^ The New Faces of the GOP New York Daily News May 11, 2009
- ^ http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_12898655
- ^ http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12877943
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jcvc9YyJjj-tLZOYuC-luDq5KpZw
- ^ http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story/Hunstman-nomination-gets-unanimous-Senate/e6SG30iNOEaC-awk9PSyiA.cspx
- ^ http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13037539
- ^ http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/
- ^ Demick, Barbara. Obama to visit China in mid-November, Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 2009. [2]
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jaDXN2Oa0_QIvuGribPkIbRMIGSQD9ABRFR80
- ^ http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/ambassador09.html
- ^ "Obama taps potential rival for China envoy". Associated Press. 2009-05-16. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090516/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_utah_governor.
- ^ Jon Huntsman, OnTheIssues
- ^ Governor Jon Huntsman, Utah.gov
- ^ [3], "Cheney says GOP presidential bench still strong", CNN Political Ticker, June 29, 2009, CNN
- ^ The Rising: Jon Huntsman Jr, "The Fix" blog, December 9 2008, Washington Post
- ^ "McCain: Let's see who runs in 2012". Associated Press. wtop.com. 2009-03-29. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=213&sid=1635991.
- ^ "Hoklo-speaking diplomat aims for realistic PRC ties". Taipei Times. Taipei Times. 2009-07-29. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/07/25/2003449509.
External links
- Jon Huntsman, Jr. - Official U.S. State Department Biography
- Biography at the National Governors Association
- Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Follow the Money - Jon M Huntsman Jr & Gary R Herbert
- Profile at Votimus.com
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert D. Orr |
U.S. Ambassador to Singapore 1992–1993 |
Succeeded by Ralph L. Boyce, Jr. |
| Preceded by Clark T. Randt, Jr. |
U.S. Ambassador to China August 11, 2009–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Olene S. Walker |
Governor of Utah January 3, 2005–August 11, 2009 |
Succeeded by Gary R. Herbert |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Michael Leavitt |
Republican Party nominee for Governor of Utah 2004, 2008 |
Succeeded by Current nominee |
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