Huntsman flying stirs confusion

Occasionally, it can be rough being named after your father.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., oldest son and namesake of industrialist/philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr., said upon being elected Utah chief executive that he would rarely, if ever, use the family corporation's private jets. Yet a new federal filing by Huntsman Corp., the fifth-largest chemicals firm in the United States, lists $163,452 in compensation, most of it in jet use, to the governor in 2005.

A Bloomberg News story about the firm's 2005 executive compensation report says most of the $163,000 going to the governor came in use of the firm's Gulfstream IV-SP corporate jet.

But Gov. Huntsman's deputy chief of staff said Friday night that it appears that a Huntsman report filed with the federal government didn't adequately distinguish between Jon Huntsman Sr.'s use of the corporate jet and any use by Jon Huntsman Jr.

"The governor was only on the (corporate) jet a few times last year, maybe only once, always with other family members on family trips; once to Fillmore for the funeral of a relative," said Mike Mower. "An amended federal filing will be made next week."

"The governor received no (cash) payments from the corporation at all last year," said Mower. "He is very careful about spending his own money on things. He flies coach commercially. He even paid his own hotel bill in Baghdad" when he quickly went there last week to meet with Utah servicemen.

Before Huntsman Corp. went public earlier this year it was the world's largest privately held chemicals firm, with plants and sales around the globe. Jon Huntsman Jr. has said he made between $15 million and $25 million when he sold his shares in Huntsman Corp.'s stock after the firm went public in February.

The governor's younger brother, Peter Huntsman, is the firm's CEO. And the filing says that the younger Huntsman quadrupled his 2005 earnings to $12.1 million through extra stock options and other forms of compensation, Bloomberg reported.

In the difficult world of the chemicals production industry, Peter Huntsman cut the firm's losses dramatically in 2005 from 2004, thus earning the extra compensation, the business reporting service said.

Gov. Huntsman, who served as an ambassador in two GOP presidential administrations, currently has no connection with the firm and has not since he first enter the governor's race in 2003.

Asked during the governor's race if he would use the family corporation's jets (earlier reports say the firm has two corporate jets), Huntsman said he doubted it.

If the firm's jet was going somewhere where the governor was also going, "I might catch a ride," Huntsman Jr. said.