Orrin Grant Hatch Wiki

                          Orrin Grant Hatch Biography

Who was Orrin Grant Hatch ?

Orrin G. Hatch, who became the longest-serving Republican senator in history by representing Utah for more than four decades, died Saturday at age 88.

Orrin Grant Hatch was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from Utah from 1977 to 2019. Hatch’s 42-year Senate tenure made him the longest-serving Republican U.S. senator in history. Hatch was also a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Wikipedia

How old was Orrin Grant Hatch ?

arch 22, 1934 (age 88 years), Homestead, Pennsylvania, United States

Cause of Death

Hatch passed away at 5:30 p.m. in Salt Lake City, surrounded by relatives, according to a statement from his foundation, which did not specify a cause of death.

A conservative on most economic and social issues, he partnered with Democrats several times during his long career on issues ranging from stem cell research to the rights of people with disabilities to the expansion of children’s health insurance.

He also formed friendships across the aisle, particularly with the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

On November 16, 2018, President Donald Trump presented Hatch with the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Career

He has also championed Republican issues like limits on abortion and helped shape the US Supreme Court, including defending Clarence Thomas against allegations of sexual harassment during confirmation hearings.

Towards the end of his career, he also helped pass federal tax reform and pushed President Donald Trump to reduce the size of two national monuments in Utah while calling for a return to an era of political civility. He became an ally of Trump.

He launched the Hatch Foundation when he retired in 2019 and was replaced by Mitt Romney.

He was also noted for his parallel career as a singer and music recording artist with themes of his religious faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Wife

He is survived by his wife, Elaine, his six children and dozens of grandchildren.

Details about the funeral arrangements have not yet been released.

Orrin Grant Hatch was born on March 22, 1934, in Homestead Park, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh.

His mother was a homemaker and his father was a union carpenter and plasterer who struggled to raise nine children after the Great Depression.

Personal Life

When Hatch was only ten years old, he was deeply affected by the loss of his older brother, Jesse Hatch, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II.

In high school, he played varsity basketball, fought as an amateur boxer, and served as student body president.

Hatch enrolled at Brigham Young University in 1952 and paid his way through college by working as a janitor during the school year and as a soap officer in the summers.

When he was nineteen years old, Hatch served a two-year mission for the Church of Latter-day Saints in Ohio and Indiana, which he described as one of the most formative experiences of his life.

In 1957, after returning from his mission, Hatch married Elaine Hansen in the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple. The couple went on to have six children.

Hatch argues with other members of the Iran-Contra panel at the hearings in the 1980s.

Hatch graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from BYU and won a full honors scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he earned his law degree with honors in 1962.

After spending several years as a trial attorney in Pittsburgh, Hatch moved to Utah in 1969 and continued to practice law.

At the urging of friends of his, he first ran for public office in 1976, when he ran for the United States Senate against three-term Democratic Senator Frank Moss.

Although he was virtually unknown, Hatch overcame the odds to win election, beginning one of the most prolific terms in modern Senate history.

Hatch served in the Senate for 42 years, making him the longest serving Republican in Senate history.

Mr. Balanced Budget’ by President Ronald Reagan

A staunch conservative, he fought to get conservative judges confirmed in the federal courts and took a leadership role in Justice Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

His fiscal obstinacy earned him the nickname ‘Mr. Balanced Budget’ by President Ronald Reagan.

At the end of his term in January 2019, Hatch was the ninth longest-serving United States Senator in United States history.

On November 16, 2018, President Donald Trump presented Hatch with the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Senator Orrin G. Hatch embodied the American Dream,” said Matt Sandgren, Executive Director of the Hatch Foundation in a statement.

He added, “Senator Hatch touched the hearts of countless people, and I know I speak for all of them when I say he will be sorely missed.”

Orrin Grant Hatch Quick and Facts

• Orrin Grant Hatch passed away on Saturday in Salt Lake City. He was 88
• He served for 42 years in the US Senate, the longest of any Republican
• Hatch was a staunch conservative, but also formed alliances across the aisle
• He teamed with Senator Ted Kennedy on measures for children’s healthcare
• Served as chairman of three major Senate committees over his tenure