Mary Kaye and Jon Huntsman Marriage Profile

Jon's campaign site mentions that Jon and Mary Kaye talk to each other every day and refers to them as being best friends and sweethearts.

News Updates:

6/21/2011: Jon Huntsman announced his candidacy for President of the U.S.

Jon Meade Huntsman Jr: March 26, 1960 in Palo Alto, California.

Mary Kaye Cooper: Abt. 1961 in Orlando, Florida.

Mary Kaye and Jon first met in 1976 in high school in Salt Lake City. While in high school they worked in the same pie shop/restaurant. After being separated by Jon's missionary work in Taiwan, their romance continued when they were both working in Washington D.C. in 1982. They became engaged on her birthday in 1983 and married two months later.

Jon and Mary Kaye were married on November 18, 1983.

Jon and Mary Kaye have seven children.

• Mary Anne Huntsman: Born in 1985.
• Abigail Huntsman: Born in 1986. Abigail married Jeffrey Livingston in August 2010.
• Elizabeth Huntsman: Born abt. 1988.
• Jon Meade Huntsman III: Born in 1990.
• William Huntsman: Born in 1992.
• Gracie Mei Huntsman: Adopted from Yangzhou, China in 1999.
• Asha Bharati: Adopted rom Gujarat, India in 2006.

Jon and Mary Kaye have a "sprawling home" in the Kalorama neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C.

Jon Huntsman: Former Ambassador to China, former Governor of Utah, former Ambassador to Singapore, businessman.

Mary Kaye: Founder of the "Power in You" program for children.

Kasie Hunt: "Mary Kaye Huntsman stands out from the crowd of prospective 2012 presidential spouses in one important way: she actually wants her husband to be president. In a season of reluctant partners, she’s not only supportive of Jon Huntsman’s presidential run but a key force in making it happen."
Source: Kasie Hunt. "Mary Kaye Huntsman: The unreluctant spouse." Politico.com. 5/27/2011.

Jon: "I spent the last 20 years of my life with the South —- with my wife, Mary Kaye. I don’t even need an interpreter now when I meet with my in-laws.”
Source: Kasie Hunt. "Mary Kaye Huntsman: The unreluctant spouse." Politico.com. 5/27/2011.

ThePage: "She [Mary Kaye] has political gifts that rival her husband’s and a Southern/Sunshine State upbringing that will be a major asset."
Source: ThePage. "Secret Weapon." Time.com. 5/23/2011.

Tom Haraldsen: "They became friends and supporters of one another [in high school], and have been ever since."
Source: Tom Haraldsen. "Mary Kaye Huntsman: Instilling the power within." ClipperToday.com. 5/2005.