Jon Huntsman Jr.

Jon Huntsman
United States Ambassador to Russia
In office October 3, 2017 – October 3, 2019
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	John F. Tefft
Succeeded by	John Sullivan
United States Ambassador to China
In office August 28, 2009 – April 28, 2011
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Clark T. Randt Jr.
Succeeded by	Gary Locke
16th Governor of Utah
In office January 3, 2005 – August 11, 2009
Lieutenant	Gary Herbert
Preceded by	Olene Walker
Succeeded by	Gary Herbert
United States Deputy Trade Representative
In office August 3, 2001 – April 2, 2003
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Susan Esserman
Succeeded by	Josette Sheeran
United States Ambassador to Singapore
In office September 22, 1992 – June 15, 1993
President	George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Robert D. Orr
Succeeded by	Ralph L. Boyce
Personal details
Born	Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (1960-03-26) March 26, 1960 (age 64) Redwood City, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Cooper ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	7, including Abby
Relatives	Jon Huntsman Sr. (father) Peter R. Huntsman (brother)
Education	University of Pennsylvania (BA)
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This article is part of a series about Jon Huntsman Jr.
Political positions Electoral history Business career Huntsman Corporation Huntsman Cancer Institute Governor of Utah 2004 election 2008 election Western Climate Initiative 2020 primary Ambassadorships Singapore China Russia Presidential campaign 2012 primaries
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Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American businessman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 16th governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the ambassador of the United States to Russia from 2017 to 2019, ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011, and ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1993.

Huntsman served in every presidential administration from the presidency of Ronald Reagan to that of Donald Trump. He began his career as a White House staff assistant for Ronald Reagan, and was appointed deputy assistant secretary of commerce and U.S. ambassador to Singapore by George H. W. Bush. Later as deputy U.S. trade representative under George W. Bush, he launched global trade negotiations in Doha in 2001 and guided the accession of China into the World Trade Organization. He served as CEO of Huntsman Family Holdings, a private entity that held the stock the family owned in Huntsman Corporation. He has also served as a board member of Huntsman Corporation, and as chair of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Huntsman is the only American ambassador to have served in both Russia and China,^[1] having been the U.S. ambassador to China under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011 and as the U.S. ambassador to Russia under Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019.

While governor of Utah, Huntsman was named chair of the Western Governors Association and joined the executive committee of the National Governors Association. Under his leadership, Utah was named the best-managed state in America by the Pew Center on the States.^[2] During his tenure, Huntsman was one of the most popular governors in the country, and won reelection in a landslide in 2008, winning every single county. He left office with approval ratings over 80 percent and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert.^[3] He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.^[4] He ran for governor again in 2020, but narrowly lost in the Republican primary to Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox.^[5]

Huntsman now serves as a No Labels National Co-Chair, and on July 17, 2023, he appeared with US senator Joe Manchin as headliners for a No Labels Common Sense Agenda Town Hall in Manchester, New Hampshire.^[6]