Born poor, he sought not to create a business but an international empire. Diagnosed with prostate cancer, he set his sights not only on surviving, but also on creating a research institute to eradicate all cancers. From his gleaming office in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, he saw himself not as Utah’s wealthiest resident (which he was for many years) but as the state’s caretaker, seeking to help the homeless, bolster the state’s colleges and ease tensions between Mormons and non-Mormons.
In his final years, as his health failed him, Huntsman sought to secure that legacy by reinforcing the cancer institute that hugs the hills on the University of Utah campus and by handing control of his charitable and business endeavors to his children.