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Jon Huntsman, Sr.

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Philanthropist

The Resume

    (June 21, 1937-February 2, 2018)
    Born in Blackfoot, Idaho
    Staff Secretary to President Nixon (1971-72)
    Associate Administrator of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1970-71)
    Founder and CEO of Huntsman Corporation (1970)
    Manufactured chemicals, including polyurethanes, textiles, and pigments
    Father of Jon Huntsman, Jr. and grandfather of Abby Huntsman
    Author of 'Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned as Children (But May Have Forgotten)' (2005)

Why he might be annoying:

    His corporation manufactured the 'clamshell' container popularized by McDonald's (which the company dropped after pressure from environmentalists).
    He was the projected favorite to win in the 1988 Utah gubernatorial race, outspending incumbent Norm Bangerter. He then inexplicably dropped out and endorsed Bangerter shortly before the primary.
    He denied that he was using his philanthropic funds to subsidize his son's 2012 Presidential campaign, but FEC filings revealed that his PAC donations accounted for over half of the contributions, most of which were spent on ads to secure a respectable third place finish in New Hampshire.
    He identified more strongly as a social conservative than his son (for instance, he was a friend and frequent guest of Glenn Beck's).
    He threatened to withhold $250 million in donations to the Huntsman Cancer Institute unless its president was forced to resign. She eventually resigned after being publicly attacked by a Hunstman-owned newspaper (2017).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a four-time cancer survivor.
    He was married to his wife Karen for over 55 years, and together had nine children.
    He received CNN's Humanitarian of the Year Award, which was presented to him byLarry King (2003).
    The American Cancer Society presented him its Medal of Honor for Cancer Philanthropy (2008).
    He was awarded the Philanthropy Roundtable's Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Award (2015).
    His son James was kidnapped and held for ransom. Although he was released unharmed, an FBI agent was killed during the rescue (1987).
    His philanthropy exceeded $1.5 billion, focusing on areas of cancer research and humanitarian aid to Armenia.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 18 Votes: 11.11% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying