Trustee and donor Huntsman tapped for diplomatic post

University Trustee Jon Huntsman Jr. is being considered by the Bush administration for the position of deputy U.S. trade representative. On Monday, President Bush announced his intent to nominate Huntsman for the position, which carries the rank of ambassador. Bush will officially nominate him provided that Huntsman passes a preliminary series of evaluations, including a background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Senate must confirm Huntsman in order for him to officially get the job. Yesterday, Huntsman expressed enthusiasm for the job and gratitude to the president his consideration. "I'm deeply honored and humbled by the president's gesture and look forward, Senate willing, to contributing to his vision for the future of America in the area of international trade," Huntsman said. University President Judith Rodin, who has worked closely with Huntsman in the past, declined to comment on Bush's announcement. White House press officials were unavailable for comment last night. Huntsman and his family have been major contributors to Penn in the past several years. In 1998, his father, Jon Huntsman Sr. gave Wharton an unrestricted $40 million dollar donation, which was applied to the construction of the $128 million Huntsman Hall. If the Senate confirms him, Huntsman will serve under U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick as one of two deputies. Huntsman will oversee trade in Asia, and the other deputy trade representative will oversee trade in Europe. Originally, several publications in both Asia and America had picked Huntsman as the Bush administration's ambassador to China, including The Singapore Straits Times and The Washington Post. In January, Washington Post columnist Al Kamen cited Huntsman's knowledge of Mandarin -- which he learned to speak as a Mormon missionary to Taiwan -- and his position as former President George H.W. Bush's ambassador to Singapore to be key qualifications for the job. And in March, Kamen wrote that Huntsman was also being considered for the ambassadorship to Indonesia. However, Kamen wrote the next day that Huntsman was not interested in the job. "Word is that Utah businessman Jon M. Huntsman Jr. has turned down Jakarta," Kamen wrote. Before the elder Bush tapped him for ambassador to Singapore, Huntsman served as deputy assistant secretary of commerce for East Asia and Pacific Affairs. Huntsman serves as vice chairman of the Utah-based Huntsman Corp., which was founded by his father.

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