40 Facts About Gary Herbert

Gary Richard Herbert was born on May 7,1947 and is an American politician who served as the 17th governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021.

Gary Herbert ran for the Republican nomination for governor in 2004, ultimately becoming fellow Republican candidate Jon Huntsman's running mate in the general election.

Gary Herbert served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Utah from 2005 until August 11,2009, when he assumed the governorship following the resignation of Huntsman, who was appointed to serve as the United States Ambassador to China by President Barack Obama.

Gary Herbert announced in 2019 that he would not seek re-election to a third full term in 2020; he endorsed the gubernatorial candidacy of his Lieutenant Governor, Spencer Cox.

Gary Herbert was born in American Fork, the son of Carol and Paul Richard Peters.

Gary Herbert's parents divorced when he was a toddler; his mother soon remarried to Duane Barlow Herbert, who legally adopted him.

Gary Herbert graduated from Orem High School, served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Eastern States Mission and later attended Brigham Young University, but did not graduate.

Gary Herbert is married to Jeanette Snelson Herbert; they have six children and sixteen grandchildren.

Gary Herbert moved with her family as a young child to Springville, Utah.

Gary Herbert is Honorary Chair of the Governor's Commission on Literacy.

Gary Herbert served for six years as a member of the Utah Army National Guard, becoming a staff sergeant.

Gary Herbert was president of the Utah Association of Counties and Utah Association of Realtors.

Mrs Gary Herbert ran a child care service, The Kids Connection.

Between 1990 and 2004, Gary Herbert served as a commissioner on the Utah County Commission.

In November 2003, Gary Herbert began campaigning for the Republican nomination for Governor of Utah.

In 2007, Gary Herbert oversaw the first statewide voter referendum to take place since the creation of the Lieutenant Governor's post.

Huntsman and Gary Herbert faced little opposition during their 2008 campaign for re-election, avoiding a primary election after achieving a plurality of votes at the state Republican Party convention.

Gary Herbert became Governor of Utah on August 11,2009, after Governor Jon Huntsman stepped down to become Ambassador to China.

In 2012, Gary Herbert won election to a full four-year term.

Important legislation included the passage of the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act which Gary Herbert signed into law on 23 March 2012.

Gary Herbert served as the vice chair for the National Governors Association from 2014 to 2015 and served as chair of the association from 2015 to 2016.

Gary Herbert won re-election to a second full term in 2016.

Gary Herbert has asserted that municipalities should have the right to pass rules and ordinances absent state interference.

In January 2020, after a proposal in the state legislature to ban conversion therapy on minors stalled, Gary Herbert signed an executive order banning conversion therapy on minors statewide.

Gary Herbert is a moderate supporter of the right to bear arms, in 2010 signing state Senate Bill 11, which protects the right of Utah-based companies to manufacture firearms for sale and use within the State.

In February 2019, Gary Herbert defied the result of a ballot initiative where voters voted for an expansion of Medicaid.

Gary Herbert instead supported a GOP-authored bill which implemented a restricted version of Medicaid; this version insured 60,000 fewer people than the expansion in the ballot initiative and was estimated to initially cost the state more.

Gary Herbert has openly opposed the legalization of medical marijuana over concerns that it would lead to recreational use.

Gary Herbert did sign the passage of HB195 and HB197, which allows people who have an estimated six months or less left to live to have access to marijuana.

Gary Herbert supported and signed the free-range parenting bill for Utah in March 2018.

Gary Herbert has supported the creation of a Utah Inland Port.

Gary Herbert signed HB234, a bill which created an Inland Port Authority, and HB433, a bill to increase the extent of the port and the powers of the Port Authority.

Lampropoulos has publicly endorsed Gary Herbert and appears in a television commercial supporting Gary Herbert's reelection bid.

In February 2010, The Deseret News reported that Gary Herbert's campaign had received a $10,000 donation from Alton Coal Development, a coal company that had complained about delays in regulators issuing a permit for strip-mining.

KSL TV reported that Gary Herbert had meetings with, and received donations from Fred Lampropoulos, CEO of Merit Medical, months before the Governor's Office of Economic Development awarded a tax break to Merit to expand its business in Utah.

In May 2016, Gary Herbert was criticized for unethical campaign fund-raising activity.

Later in May 2016, Gary Herbert apologized, saying that he regretted his actions and the actions of his campaign, but he said that he did nothing wrong.

The law was repealed two weeks later, and Gary Herbert was criticized for costing the state $30,000 for not simply vetoing the bill when he first had a chance.

On March 20,2012, Gary Herbert signed into law House Bill 187, dealing with "Agricultural Operation Interference" despite several individuals and organizations urging him veto it.

Gary Herbert had a cameo in the low budget movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens alongside Dan Farr of Salt Lake Comic Con.