Orrin Hatch facts for kids

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Orrin Hatch

Official portrait, 2015

President pro tempore of the United States Senate

In office
January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019

Preceded by

Patrick Leahy

Succeeded by

Chuck Grassley

United States Senator
from Utah

In office
January 3, 1977 – January 3, 2019

Preceded by

Frank Moss

Succeeded by

Mitt Romney

Senatorial positions

Chair of the Joint Pensions Committee
In office March 8, 2018 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Ron Wyden
Succeeded by	Chuck Grassley
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Patrick Leahy
Succeeded by	Arlen Specter
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded by	Patrick Leahy
Succeeded by	Patrick Leahy
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Joe Biden
Succeeded by	Patrick Leahy
Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Harrison A. Williams
Succeeded by	Ted Kennedy

Personal details

Born

Orrin Grant Hatch

March 22, 1934
Homestead, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Died

April 23, 2022 (aged 88)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Political party

Republican

Spouse

Elaine Hansen

(m. 1957)

Children

Education

Brigham Young University (BA)
University of Pittsburgh (JD)

Awards

Presidential Medal of Freedom (2018)
Canterbury Medal (2020)

Signature

Orrin Grant Hatch (March 22, 1934 – April 23, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Senator for Utah from 1977 to 2019. His 42 years in the Senate made him the longest-serving Republican U.S. Senator in history for a time. Later, Chuck Grassley served longer.

Hatch led several important committees in the Senate. He chaired the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions from 1981 to 1987. He also led the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2003 to 2005. On January 3, 2015, he became the President pro tempore of the Senate. This is a high-ranking position in the Senate. From 2015 to 2019, he chaired the Senate Finance Committee. In this role, he helped pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Early Life and Education

Orrin Grant Hatch was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania. This town is a suburb of Pittsburgh. His father, Jesse Hatch, worked with metal. His mother was Helen Frances Hatch. Orrin had eight brothers and sisters, but two died when they were babies.

Hatch grew up in a poor family. He was the first person in his family to go to college. He studied history at Brigham Young University and earned his degree in 1959. He was also an amateur boxer and had 11 fights. In 1962, Hatch earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He said that during law school, he and his young family lived in a fixed-up chicken coop behind his parents' house. Hatch worked as a lawyer in Pittsburgh. He moved to Utah in 1969 and continued his law practice there.

Time as a U.S. Senator

Hatch with President Donald Trump and Senator Mike Lee in 2017

Orrin Hatch became a U.S. Senator on January 3, 1977. He led the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions from 1981 to 1987. He also chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.

Hatch was interested in serving on the U.S. Supreme Court. It was said that President Ronald Reagan considered him for a spot on the Supreme Court.

Hatch meeting Queen Elizabeth II in 1991

On January 3, 2015, Hatch became the President pro tempore of the Senate. This means he was the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate.

On January 2, 2018, Hatch announced he would retire from the Senate. He did not seek re-election that November. He left the Senate on January 3, 2019, after serving for 42 years. When he retired, he was the longest-serving U.S. Senator from Utah. He was also the longest-serving Republican U.S. Senator in history at that time.

Political Views

Anti-Terrorism Efforts

Hatch visits at the White House with President George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks.

In 1995, Hatch was a key leader for the Senate's anti-terrorism bill. This bill was largely a response to the Oklahoma City bombing. Some parts of the bill were criticized for limiting certain rights.

As a senior member of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, Hatch helped extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 2008. He believed this bill would help fight terrorism and keep America safe.

Government Bailouts

Hatch voted for the 2008 law that created the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). This program helped the economy during a financial crisis. In 2011, Hatch said he might have made a mistake voting for it. However, he also said the country was in "real trouble" and faced a possible depression at the time.

He also voted for the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. This law provided money to help guarantee mortgages and restore trust in housing finance companies.

Balanced Budget

Hatch strongly supported changing the U.S. Constitution. He wanted to require the government's spending to not be more than its income each year.

During his time in the Senate, Hatch proposed a balanced budget amendment many times. He also voted for it on several occasions. One of his proposed amendments passed the House of Representatives in 1997. However, it failed to pass the Senate by just one vote.

Health Care Reform

Hatch did not support President Barack Obama's health reform law. He voted against the Affordable Care Act in 2009 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Hatch with Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. C. Everett Koop (far right), Elizabeth Koop (left), and HHS Secretary Richard Schweiker (right) (November 16, 1981)

In 2003, Hatch supported the Medicare prescription drug benefit plan, known as Medicare Part D. This plan helps older Americans pay for their medicines.

In 2014, Hatch helped create a bill to reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program. This program helps make sure children get special medical care when they need it. Hatch said this program helps "some of our country's most vulnerable" get the care they need.

Immigration Views

Hatch helped create and support the expansion of H-1B visas. These visas allow skilled foreign workers to come to the U.S. He also supported stronger immigration enforcement. For example, he voted for more law enforcement agents to patrol U.S. borders. He also proposed the DREAM Act. This act would offer a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Hatch also spoke about President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order. This order temporarily stopped immigration from seven Muslim countries. Hatch said the order put "unnecessary burdens" on families.

Protecting Ideas and Creations

Hatch was a strong supporter of expanding intellectual property rights. These rights protect things like inventions, books, and music. In 1997, he introduced a bill to extend copyright terms. Hatch believed that laws protecting ideas should be similar to laws protecting physical property. He thought they should offer more protection to creators.

LGBT Rights

In 2013, Hatch said he believed same-sex marriage changed the meaning of marriage law. However, he did not support a federal amendment to ban it. He supported the right of same-sex couples to form a civil union. He said the law should "give gay people the same rights as married people." Later that year, Hatch voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This act would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Nuclear Testing Compensation

Hatch holds a press conference with Representative Wayne Owens in March 1989. They worked together to pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).

In 1977, a reporter published articles about government mistakes in nuclear bomb testing. These tests happened at the Nevada Test Site. The articles showed that the government did not protect citizens whose health would be harmed. Even though Hatch worried about national security, he pushed for hearings on the issue.

By 1984, Hatch had held many hearings and passed laws for scientific investigations. But he still couldn't get a compensation bill passed. He found a treaty that would pay people in the Marshall Islands for similar injuries. Hatch used this treaty to get the Reagan administration to agree to support compensation for Utah citizens. It took five more years, but the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 finally passed. This law provided money for citizens harmed by radioactive fallout from the tests.

Religious Freedom

Hatch was the main author of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. This law protects the right of all religions to build churches and other facilities on private land. In 2010, Hatch used this law to defend the right to build a mosque in downtown Manhattan. He believed in protecting freedom of religion.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Trump presenting the Medal of Freedom to Hatch

On November 16, 2018, President Donald Trump gave Hatch the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest honor a civilian can receive in the United States.

Other Important Issues

In 1999, Hatch asked for a federal investigation into companies that make violent video games. He suggested making the existing voluntary rating system for video games (ESRB) a required federal law.

Hatch also supported the Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment. This amendment would change the U.S. Constitution. It would allow anyone who has been a U.S. citizen for twenty years to become president or vice-president.

Personal Life

Orrin Hatch married Elaine Hansen on August 28, 1957. They had six children together.

Hatch was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). His parents grew up in Utah, and his ancestors were members of the LDS Church. Hatch served as a Latter-day Saint missionary in the "Great Lakes States Mission". This mission covered parts of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Hatch also served in other church roles, including as a bishop.

Hatch was a founder and co-chair of the Federalist Society. This is an organization of conservative lawyers.

Hatch was also a member of the board of directors for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In a 1996 interview, Hatch said he wore a mezuzah necklace. This was to remind him that another Holocaust should never happen again.

Despite their political differences, Hatch was a longtime friend of fellow senator Ted Kennedy. Hatch spoke at Kennedy's memorial service in 2009. He even suggested Kennedy's widow, Victoria Reggie, could replace Kennedy in the Senate.

Death

Orrin Hatch passed away in Salt Lake City on April 23, 2022. He was 88 years old. He died from problems caused by a stroke he had the week before. He was buried in Newton.

Music and Film Appearances

Hatch played the piano, violin, and organ. He loved poetry and wrote songs for many artists. One of his songs, "Unspoken," became very popular. It was featured on WOW Hits 2005, a collection of Christian pop music. He also co-wrote "Everything And More," sung by Billy Gilman. Hatch earned money as an LDS musical recording artist.

The rock musician Frank Zappa wrote a guitar song called "Orrin Hatch On Skis." This song is on his 1988 album, Guitar.

In March 1997, Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry recorded an album together called My God Is Love. They also made other albums, including "Come to the Manger."

Hatch appeared as himself in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 movie Traffic. He had a small role in a scene at a party in Washington, D.C. Soderbergh later used one of Hatch's songs, "Souls Along The Way," in his film Ocean's 12.

Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry also wrote the song "Heal Our Land." This song was performed at George W. Bush's inauguration in January 2005.

In 2006, Hatch, along with Lowell Alexander and Phil Naish, wrote the song "Blades Of Grass And Pure White Stones."

Hatch's image was shown in a 2007 episode of 30 Rock called "Jack Gets in the Game". He was listed as one of Dr. Leo Spaceman's famous clients.

In 2009, Hatch wrote the lyrics for "Eight Days of Hanukkah." This was a hip hop Hanukkah song.

Hatch appeared in a 2015 episode of Parks and Recreation called "Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington." He was in a scene with Cory Booker.

Books Written by Orrin Hatch

Orrin Hatch, The Equal Rights Amendment: Myths and Realities, Savant Press (1983)
Orrin Hatch, Higher Laws: Understanding the Doctrines of Christ , Shadow Mountain (1995) ISBN: 978-0-87579-896-7
Orrin Hatch, Square Peg: Confessions of a Citizen Senator, Basic Books (2002) ISBN: 978-0-465-02867-2
Orrin Hatch, Orrin Hatch, the L.D.S. Mormon Politician as Songwriter, text of an interview of Orrin Hatch by Phillip K. Bimstein, in Washington, D.C., August 14, 2003, transcribed by Jonathan Murphy, New York City, American Music Center, 2003, without ISBN.

Awards and Honors

Hatch received several important awards:

Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania, Romania (June 8, 2017)
Order of Duke Branimir, Republic of Croatia (October 29, 2018)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (November 16, 2018)
Secretary of the Air Force Distinguished Public Service Award (December 11, 2018)