Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator For 42 Years, Dies At 88

Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican who served 42 years in the U.S. Senate, passed away today at the age of 88.

Rise To Prominence: Born on March 22, 1934, in Pittsburgh, Hatch was the son of a metal lather and was the first member of his family to attend college – he received a B.A. in history from Brigham Young University and his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He initially practiced law in Pittsburgh before relocating to Utah in 1969.

Hatch made his first run for public office in Utah in 1976 when he challenged Frank Moss, a three-term incumbent Democrat senator. During the election, Hatch promised to push for term limits in the U.S. Senate – but once in Washington, he successfully ran for re-election six times before retiring in 2019. Hatch holds the record for the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate and Utah’s longest serving senator.

A Dominant Power Broker: During his years on Capitol Hill, Hatch chaired several prominent committees, including the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he played a key role in securing Clarence Thomas’ confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court during a contentious 1991 hearing. In 1993, he crossed the aisle to recommend that President Bill Clinton appoint Ruth Bader Ginsburg to fill a Supreme Court vacancy - Clinton was not considering her prior to Hatch's input.

Hatch became President pro tempore of the Senate in January 2015, the second-highest ranking member of the Senate (after the Vice President, who also serves as President of the Senate) and third in line of presidential succession.

Among Hatch’s notable legislative achievements was coordinating the bipartisan support for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2014. He advocated for expanding the H-1B visa program for immigrant workers and for a balanced budget amendment for the U.S. Constitution, but was a vocal opponent of abortion and criticized President Donald Trump’s 2017 ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations.

Hatch’s position on LGBT rights evolved over the years, from his 1977 opposition to having gay and lesbian teachers to a 2018 speech on the Senate floor supporting programs for LGBT youth.

Hatch received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2018 from President Trump, three months before his retirement from the Senate. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, won the election for Hatch’s Senate seat.

Photo: Thomas Hawk / Flickr Creative Commons