Huntsman plastics are used in a wide variety of familiar objects, including (formerly) clamshell containers for McDonald's hamburgers.

[2] Huntsman Corporation also manufactures a wide variety of organic and inorganic chemicals that include polyurethanes, textiles, and pigments.

[3] Huntsman's philanthropic giving exceeded $1.5 billion, focusing on areas of cancer research, programs at various universities, and aid to Armenia.

[4] His mother, Sarah Kathleen (née Robison; 1910–1969),[5] was a homemaker, and his father, Alonzo Blaine Huntsman Sr. (1910–1990),[6] was a teacher.

[4][7] In 1950, the family moved to Palo Alto, California, where Alonzo pursued graduate studies at Stanford University, earning an M.A.

Recognizing that the company sustained substantial losses due to poor packaging, Huntsman became interested in developing a better alternative.

[8][13] In 1976, after completion of its first international plant at Skelmersdale, England, a stock deal was arranged to sell Huntsman Container Corporation to Keyes Fiber Company.

Huntsman continued to serve as CEO of the container business for four more years and held a directorship of Keyes Fiber Company.

[18] In 2007 Huntsman co-founded an additional new private equity firm, Huntsman Gay Global Capital (now known as HGGC), with two former Bain Capital executives, Robert C. Gay (1989–2004, managing director) and Greg Benson (executive vice president in London), former Sorenson Capital co-founder and managing director Rich Lawson, and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young to focus on investments in middle market companies.

[21] In 2004 he received the Othmer Gold Medal, awarded by the Chemical Heritage Foundation in recognition of contributions in research, innovation, legislation or philanthropy.

[25] Huntsman and his wife, Karen, were married for over 58 years and had nine children: Jon Jr., Peter, Christena, Kathleen (d. 2010), David, Paul, James, Jennifer, and Mark.

[28] On December 8, 1987, Huntsman's son, James, then age 16, was kidnapped and held for $1 million ransom by Nicholas Hans Byrd, a former classmate.

A second edition, titled Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times, made the Wall Street Journal's best-sellers list.

[34] In March 1988, Huntsman announced he would run against incumbent Utah Governor Norm Bangerter in the Republican primary.

[45] Huntsman Jr. announced his intention in Manchester to continue the campaign in South Carolina[45] but dropped out on January 16, in advance of the vote there, throwing his support to Mitt Romney.

[46] Huntsman was widely recognized for his humanitarian giving which, including contributions to the homeless, the ill and the under-privileged, exceeds $1.5 billion and has assisted thousands, both domestically and internationally.

[48] On January 1, 2000, The Salt Lake Tribune included him among "The 10 Utahns Who Most Influenced Our State in the 20th Century" for his donations to education and medical research.

The Huntsmans gave the institute a further $100 million in 1995, an amount roughly equal to a year's total distribution to researchers from the American Cancer Society.

At a press conference to announce the gift, Huntsman said the preservation of the environment is the single most important issue in the world.

[69] The law library at Brigham Young University, built in 1975, was expanded and renamed for Howard W. Hunter in 1995 with financial support from Jon and Karen Huntsman and other donors.

[70] A new library building at Southern Utah University, named in honor of retiring SUU President Gerald R. Sherratt, contains the Jon and Karen Huntsman Reading Room.

Completed in 2010, it is a "green" building, expected to be the first academic library in the state to achieve gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

[75] One of his earliest projects there involved setting up a plant to make pre-stressed concrete, to supply building materials for reconstruction and to employ Armenians.

[74] The Huntsmans have built a tile roofing plant in Yerevan,[76] apartment complexes, and a K-12 school in the city of Gyumri.

[74][77] The Huntsmans also provide scholarships to bring Armenian students to America to study at Utah State University.

[74][78] Huntsman has been granted citizenship in the country and awarded two medals of honor by Armenia, one of them the St. Mesrop Mashtots Order.

It was clear to me that Jon's real motivation in his work and accumulation of wealth was to give much of what he has to make people's lives better.

[88][89] Lee resigned after the public backlash she received, particularly from editorials printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, a newspaper owned by the Huntsman family.