Orrin G. Hatch, a conservative Utah senator and the party’s longest-serving senator, died at the age of 88 this Saturday. He was the longest-serving Republican senator.
Key Facts
- The Orrin Hatch Foundation stated in a statement that the former senator died around 5:30 p.m. in Salt Lake City, accompanied by family, but did not provide a cause of death.
- Hatch is survived by his six children and his wife.
- From Jimmy Carter to Trump, Hatch helped design more than 12,000 pieces of US legislation while serving in the House of Representatives.
- In spite of Hatch’s conservative leanings, he collaborated with Democrats on a number of occasions.
“In a nation divided, Orrin Hatch helped show us a better way by forging meaningful friendships on both sides of the aisle. Today, more than ever, we would do well to follow his example. May we honor Orrin’s memory by living as he lived—committed to our country, to our principles, and to each other,” A. Scott Anderson, Hatch Foundation chairman, said in a statement.
Hatch served in the Senate for four decades, during which he championed a number of important Republican initiatives, including the restriction of abortion and the establishment of a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. When he became a Trump supporter, he served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and helped push through a substantial overhaul of the United States tax code. Orrin Hatch announced his retirement in 2019 saying that “every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves.” Hatch was succeeded by Mitt Romney, a Republican who was a strong opponent of President Trump.
