At the time of his retirement, Senator Hatch held the distinction of having passed more legislation into law than any other Senator then alive. Through his relentless work ethic, Hatch earned a reputation as one of the most effective and bipartisan lawmakers of all time. In total, he sponsored or cosponsored more than 750 bills that became law.

Beyond the sheer volume of his legislative successes, Hatch authored or coauthored many of the most consequential laws of the past half-century, including: the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which helps protect the free exercise of religion for all Americans; the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act (also known as Hatch-Waxman), which created the modern generic drug industry; the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (or SCHIP), which provides health care for uninsured children from low-income families who do not qualify for Medicaid; and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities.

In addition to the integral role he played in writing and passing some of the nation’s most consequential pieces of legislation, Senator Hatch also helped pass numerous bills of particular importance to the people of Utah, including the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and the Central Utah Project. 

Throughout his service, Senator Hatch had the distinction of serving in numerous leadership positions. He was one of only a few Senators in history to serve as Chairman of three major Senate Committees: the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee (now called the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, 1981-1987), the Senate Judiciary Committee (1995-2001; 2001; 2003-2005), and the Senate Finance Committee (2015-2019). In total, Senator Hatch spent 32 of his 42 years in Congress as either the Chairman or Ranking Member of a major committee—an unparalleled record.

Senator Hatch used these positions to advance measures to strengthen our economy, protect individual liberty, and safeguard America’s system of limited government under the Constitution. As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Hatch’s priorities included pro-growth tax reform, opening up foreign markets to American exports, and entitlement reform to ensure the long-term sustainability of Social Security and Medicare. His record of fiscal responsibility earned him the nickname “Mr. Balanced Budget” from President Reagan.  

On the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch was instrumental in fighting judicial activism and reshaping the federal courts. At the time of his retirement, he had participated in the confirmation of more than half of all federal judges who had ever served and played a central role in thirteen Supreme Court confirmation hearings. He also worked to enact tough anti-crime laws, civil justice reform, property rights protections, and numerous measures related to technological innovation and intellectual property. On the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Hatch was instrumental in passing laws to improve cancer and HIV/AIDS research, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, mental health, and children’s welfare.

In addition to his formal leadership positions, Senator Hatch was long regarded as an elder statesmen who—even before his election by his colleagues as President Pro Tempore of the Senate—played a prominent role in revitalizing the Senate's historic traditions, safeguarding its rules and precedents, and defending its institutional prerogatives. Because of Senator Hatch’s deep understanding of and support for the tech sector, in 2009 Senator Mitch McConnell appointed Senator Hatch Chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force—a position he held for a decade, championing pro-growth, pro-innovation policies.

Senator Hatch received numerous awards and honors over the years, including 14 honorary degrees from institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Maryland, Pepperdine University, the University of Utah, and Utah State University. In addition to honorary degrees, Senator Hatch received the National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Director of National Intelligence, Gold and Platinum Records from the Recording Industry Association of America for songs that he co-authored, the Canterbury Medal from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States.

Senator Hatch credited his family as the key to his success. He and his wife, Elaine, were married for more than 60 years and were the proud parents of six children and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Life Overview 

Orrin G. Hatch was born on March 22, 1934, in Homestead Park, Pennsylvania—just outside of Pittsburgh. His mother was a homemaker and his father was a union metal lather. In humble circumstances, they raised nine children in the aftermath of the Great Depression.

Hatch’s childhood, though happy, was also marked by poverty and significant hardship. When Hatch was just ten years old, he was deeply impacted by the loss of his older brother, Jesse Hatch, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. After Jesse’s death, Hatch resolved to live two lives—one for himself and one for his brother.

This resolve drove Hatch to succeed in sports and other extracurricular activities. In high school, he played on the varsity basketball team, fought as an amateur boxer, and served as student body president. He brought his passion for music, athletics, and student government with him to Brigham Young University in 1952. To pay his way through college, Hatch worked as a janitor during the school year and as a journeyman lather in the summers. When he was 19 years old, Hatch was called to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio and Indiana, which he described as one of the most formative periods of his life.

Upon returning from his mission, Hatch married Elaine Hansen in Salt Lake City. He eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in history from BYU and won a full honors scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh Law School, where he earned his law degree with honors in 1962.

After spending several years as a trial lawyer in Pittsburgh, Hatch moved to Utah in 1969. There, he distinguished himself as a trial lawyer and found great meaning in representing individuals in need: injured railroad workers, small businessmen, and many others who often could not pay for his services. Hatch represented them anyway.

It wasn’t long before Hatch’s friends and colleagues urged him to consider public service. He had never before run for public office when, on May 10, 1976, he filed to run for the United States Senate against three-term Democratic Senator Frank Moss. Although virtually unknown, Hatch overcame the odds to win the election, commencing one of the most prolific tenures in modern Senate history.

After retiring from the Senate in January 2019, Hatch devoted his time to building the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, a national policy think tank that seeks to foster civic participation, bipartisan dialogue, and commonsense solutions to the nation’s most pressing problems. The Foundation’s mission can be distilled in two words: civility and solutions, which were the twin pillars of Hatch’s Senate service.

Hatch’s legacy continues through the work of the Hatch Foundation and lives on in the lives of the countless people he impacted over many decades of public service.