Gary R. Herbert
Gary R. Herbert is the current governor of the state of Utah. He also serves as chair of the National Governors Association.
Herbert was born on May 7, 1947, in American Fork, Utah. He was reared in Orem, Utah, and attended Brigham Young University for a time before joining the Utah Army National Guard. He served for six years and concluded his service as staff sergeant. He then opened his own real estate firm. He served as president of the Utah Association of Realtors.
In 1990, he was elected to a seat on the Utah County Commission and served there for fourteen years. He also served as president of the Utah Association of Counties. Herbert continued his political aspirations by running for governor in 2004. He then became Jon Huntsman, Jr.’s running mate in the general election. He was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Utah in January 2005. Huntsman and Herbert were reelected in 2008. On August 7, 2009, Huntsman resigned as governor upon the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of his as Ambassador to China. Herbert was then sworn in as governor of the state on August 11, 2009. Herbert defeated Salt Lake City Mayor Peter Corroon in a special election in 2010 that was held to determine who would serve out the remainder of Huntsman's term. He was reelected in November 2012.
Herbert is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern Atlantic States Mission. He and his wife, Jeanette, are the parents of six children.
