Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American politician and diplomat, currently serving as the Governor of the U.S. state of Utah and as United States Ambassador to China. He was first elected Governor in 2004 and took office on January 3, 2005. Huntsman was re-elected, with running-mate Gary R. Herbert, on November 4, 2008, receiving over 77% of the vote. President Barack Obama announced on May 16, 2009, that Huntsman would be his nominee to serve as United States Ambassador to China and he was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 7 of that year.

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. 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.