Mary Kaye Huntsman
| Mary Kaye Huntsman | |
|---|---|
Huntsman in Palo Alto, California on June 27, 2011
|
|
| First Lady of Utah | |
|
In role January 3, 2005 – August 11, 2009 |
|
| Governor | Jon Huntsman, Jr. |
| Preceded by | Myron Walker |
| Succeeded by | Jeanette Herbert |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Kaye Cooper September 10, 1961 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jon Huntsman, Jr. (1983-present) |
| Children | Mary Anne (b. 1985) Abigail (b. 1986) Elizabeth (b. 1988) Jon III (b. 1990) William (b. 1993) Gracie Mei (b. 1999) Asha Bharati (b. 2006) |
| Education |
University of Utah Arizona State University |
| Occupation | Activist, philanthropist |
| Known for | Wife of U.S. presidential candidate and former governor Jon Huntsman Jr. |
Mary Kaye Huntsman (née Cooper; September 10, 1961) is an American activist and the wife of Jon Huntsman Jr. She launched and developed Bag of Hope and Power in You, programs that help children and teenagers deal with the emotional side of adversity with peer-to-peer and grownup support.
Time described Huntsman as having significant political gifts and being a major asset to her husband's political endeavors. From 2005 to 2009, she was First Lady of Utah.
Mary Kaye Cooper was born September 10, 1961, in Orlando, Florida, to an Episcopalian family. She is one of three daughters born to Mary Anne (Galloway) and Charles Floyd Cooper. When she was 14, in ninth grade, her family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City where she met Jon Huntsman, Jr. They were both active in student government. They started dating when they worked together at a Salt Lake City Marie Callender's Pie Shop.
While enrolled at the University of Utah, she worked as a dental assistant. She then transferred to Arizona State University, where she majored in family and consumer studies. Raised Episcopalian, she is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
While working in Washington, D.C., Cooper ran into Jon Huntsman, Jr., who was part of Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign, and the couple began dating seriously. They married in 1983 and have seven children: Mary Anne (b. 1985), Abigail (b. 1986), Elizabeth "Liddy" (b. 1988), Jon III (b. 1990), William (b. 1993), Gracie Mei (b. 1999; adopted from China), and Asha Bharati (b. 2006; adopted from India).
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