Gary Richard Herbert 17th and current Governor of Utah Date of Birth: 07.05.1947 Country: USA

Biography of Gary Richard Herbert

Gary Richard Herbert, the 17th and current governor of the state of Utah, was born on May 7, 1947, in American Fork, Utah. He was born to parents Paul and Carol Peters, but later his mother remarried and his stepfather, Duane Barlow Herbert, adopted him and gave him his last name.

Herbert grew up in Orem and attended the local schools. He spent two years on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the eastern states and then enrolled at Brigham Young University in Provo, one of the largest universities in Utah and the United States, although he did not graduate.

Gary Herbert is married to Jeanette Snelson Herbert, and they have six children together - three sons, Nathan, Daniel, and Bradley, and three daughters, Kimberli, Shannon, and Heather. They also have nine grandchildren. Their eldest daughter, Kimberli, is married to Ben Cahoon from the football club 'Alouettes de Montréal', and their youngest son, Bradley, is married to singer Carmen Rasmusen, a finalist on 'American Idol'.

Herbert served in the Utah National Guard for six years, eventually reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. He then founded the company 'Herbert and Associates Realtors', which deals in real estate, as well as 'The Kids Connection', a child care service.

From 1990 to 2004, Herbert worked as a member of the Utah County Commission and served as the President of the Utah Association of Counties and the Utah Association of Realtors. In November 2003, Herbert began his campaign for the position of governor. In April 2004, he joined forces with his opponent Jon Huntsman, and when their "duet" surpassed the incumbent governor Olene Walker in the elections, Herbert became the vice-governor under Governor Huntsman.

As vice-governor, Herbert served on 13 different commissions. Huntsman and Herbert faced some opposition during their 2008 re-election campaign but avoided a party primary as they received the majority of votes at the Republican Party Convention. In the general elections, the Republicans won with a record-breaking 77 percent of the votes. On August 11, 2009, following Huntsman's resignation, Herbert assumed the position of governor.

In the special elections of 2010, Herbert plans to seek re-election. His main priorities as governor include state and higher education, economic development, energy security, and infrastructure development. Gary Herbert has stated that education remains the most important issue as improving the state's education system is crucial to maintaining its competitiveness.