Orrin Grant Hatch Biographical Summary - 2003 Orrin Grant Hatch was born on March 22, 1934, to Jesse and Helen Hatch in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His great-grandfather, Jeremiah Hatch, founded what is now known as Vernal, located in eastern Utah's great Uintah basin. Senator Hatch married the former Elaine Hansen of Newton, Utah. They are the proud parents of six children and have twenty grandchildren. At an early age, Senator Hatch was taught the value of hard work. His father worked long hours as a metal lather to provide for his family. As a young man, Senator Hatch also learned the metal lathing trade and was a card-carrying member of the AFL-CIO. He worked his way through college at Brigham Young University, graduating in 1959 with a degree in history. He was awarded a full honors scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh Law School. As a law student, he struggled to provide for his growing family, working as a janitor, a metal lather and at night as an all-night desk attendant in a dormitory. In 1962, he received his Juris Doctorate, graduating with honors. After receiving his law degree, Senator Hatch was a practicing attorney, first in Pennsylvania then in Utah, until his election to the United States Senate in 1976. Since then, Senator Hatch also has received five honorary doctorate degrees from law schools and universities. Prior to his election to the Senate in 1976, Senator Hatch had held no public office. A political outsider, he entered the race as a dark horse for the Republican nomination to oppose three-term incumbent Democrat Frank E. Moss, filling his candidacy on the last possible day. Despite the overwhelming odds against him, he fervently believed he could make a difference in Washington. His campaign was based on the guiding principles of limited government, tax restraint, and integrity in public service. After winning the G.O.P. Nomination, he went on to defeat Senator Moss, who many said could not be beaten, with 54 percent of the vote. As Utah's senator, Orrin Hatch has continued to stand by those principles that earned him his Senate seat in 1976. He has continually fought an expanding federal bureaucracy and has been at the forefront of the battle against burdensome and costly federal regulations. He has been recognized by the National Taxpayers' Union for his fiscal responsibility and has been dubbed by others "Mr. Free Enterprise," "Guardian of Small Business," and "Mr. Constitution." As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch is a leader in the fight for tougher anti-crime laws, civil justice reform to unclog the courts, and legislation to protect individual property rights. He also takes an active role in the confirmation of all judicial nominations, including justices of the Supreme Court, and has a direct impact on such issues as civil rights, immigration, antitrust and consumer protection, and issues related to the Constitution. Senator Hatch is also the 2nd Ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Finance, where the Senator has been a leading advocate for policies to encourage savings and investment, such as the Capital Formation Act of 1997, as well as many other pro-growth tax bills. He also played a key part in enacting the welfare reform bill, known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. He was particularly involved in the provisions relating to state training prerogatives and child care. Now in his fifth term as Utah's senator, Orrin Hatch has championed a variety of legislative causes. Among his many achievements and initiatives are the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, the religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Omnibus Property Rights Act, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty act, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, home health care, the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act, the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act, FDA reform, the Orphan Drug Act, the Ryan White AIDS Care legislation, which provides needed services for adults and children afflicted with HIV, the Job Training Partnership Act, designation of the Mormon Trail, the Utah School Trust Lands Exchange Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) for the Utah down winders. Senator Hatch is also a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Indian Affairs, the Special Committee on Aging, and the Joint Economic Committee. He also has the honor of serving on the Board of Directors for the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. |
