WASHINGTON — President Bush announced Monday that he plans to nominate Utahn John Price, one of the nation's largest developers of shopping malls, as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius.
Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean, 720 square miles in size, and has a population of slightly more than 1 million people — or about half that of Utah.
Bush made the announcement just weeks after a Utah jury ruled Price had cheated two former partners in a New Mexico shopping mall out of more than $1 million and ordered him to pay $1.1 million in compensatory damages and $5.5 million in punitive damages.
Bush issued a statement saying, "John Price is a proven business leader and committed member of his community. He will be an outstanding representative of the United States in the Republic of Mauritius."
The president has not yet formally sent Price's name to the Senate for confirmation. Presidents routinely announce their intentions before making formal nominations to allow any objections to be raised while final background checks are performed.
Price and his wife donated $471,550 to Republican causes last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He was also Bush's 2000 Utah finance chairman.
At the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia last year, Price told the Deseret News he had raised $1.3 million for the Bush campaign — and was working on raising more.
In annual studies by the Deseret News, Price each year has been one of the top two political donors in Utah. The other top donor, financier Ian Cumming, moved to Wyoming, leaving Price with the title of Utah's largest political donor.
Price, a survivor of the Holocaust, has often been quoted saying he donates heavily because it improves his access to politicians and allows him to communicate his concerns.
Price is the chairman and chief executive officer of JP Realty Inc. and director of the executive committee of Alta Industries. He is also chairman of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
He is a former member of the University of Utah Board of Trustees and a U. graduate.
Price is also a member of the advisory committee of the Utah School of Business and a member of the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution.
He is a March of Dimes Advisory Board member and a member of the Utah Council on Housing and Land Use. He serves as chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, the Governor's Committee for Employment of the Handicapped and the Cerebral Palsy Telethon.
Price is the second Utahn to be nominated to ambassador rank by Bush.
Bush earlier nominated Jon Huntsman Jr. to become deputy U.S. trade representative overseeing Asian trade issues, which carries the rank of ambassador. Huntsman was U.S. ambassador to Singapore during the administration of George Bush Sr.
E-MAIL: lee@desnews.com