Gary R. Herbert
Gary R. Herbert was the governor of the State of Utah from 2009 to 2021. He also served as chair of the National Governors Association from 2015 to 2016.
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. He 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 will not seek reelection in the 2020 election; instead, he endorsed his lieutenant governor Spencer Cox.
In May 2021, he announced that he would serve as the executive chairman of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce. His responsibilities would be "to cultivate potential new relationships and nurture current ones with the chamber while assisting in executing its strategic plan."[1]
On May 7, 2021, Herbert received two honorary degrees from two Utah universities. In the morning, he spoke at Dixie State University's commencement and received an honorary doctorate for significant contributions to education. In the evening, he received an honorary doctorate degree for public service at Utah Valley University.
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.
