Look Who’s Related: Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman

Tension is building in the Republican race for the presidential nomination as we get closer and closer to the beginning of the primaries. While the GOP candidates duke it out in the debate field, we thought it would be fun to look into how two Republican presidential nominee hopefuls are related. Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is Jon Huntsman’s third cousin once removed!

Their common ancestor is Parley P. Pratt, an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. Pratt is Mitt Romny‘s second great grandfather and Jon Huntsman‘s third great grandfather.

Parley P. Pratt

Parley P. Pratt was an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a governing body of the Church of Latter Day Saint’s hierarchy, which was organized by the Latter Day Saint movement’s founder Joseph Smith. After the death of Joseph Smith, Pratt and his family were among the Latter Day Saints who emigrated to Utah territory to continue on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Brigham Young.

A practicing polygamist, Pratt had a total of 12 wives. In 1857, while returning from a missionary trip in the southern United States, Pratt was murdered by Hector McLean, the legal husband of Eleanor, one of Pratt’s many wives. McLean accused Pratt of kidnapping his wife and children and killed him out of revenge. Pratt maintained that he had helped care for Eleanor, who was escaping her oppressive marriage.

Check out Parley P. Pratt’s family tree below!

View Parley P. Pratt’s Geni Tree