Senator Orrin Hatch officially ended his
presidential bid on January 26, 2000.
Excerpts from About Orrin Hatch: A Life Overcoming the Odds:
Three strong traits serve as the hallmark of Orrin Grant Hatch's life:
service, hard work and perseverance.
These qualities have guided him through four terms in the United States
Senate. Always striving to protect the principles of limited government,
tax restraint, and integrity in public service, Hatch has been a leader in
developing bi-partisan legislation in such key areas as: balancing the budget;
protecting Medicare and Social Security; lowering taxes; and improving health
care services for children, seniors, the disabled, and the homebound.
Senator Hatch's core values were learned at the knee of his father, a
hard-working metal lather, and his mother, a devout woman who encouraged her
son's love of literature and the arts. He was born in 1934 to Jesse and Helen
Hatch, a family of modest means.
After losing their home during the Great Depression, his father used a $50
loan and second-hand building materials - including lumber that had been
partially burned by fire - to build a home for his family in the suburbs of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Hatch received a bachelors degree from Brigham Young University and a full
honors scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh Law School where he was
awarded a Juris Doctorate with honors. After receiving his law degree, Senator
Hatch became a practicing attorney, first in Pennsylvania, then in Utah, until
his election to the United States Senate in 1976.
While serving as a Senator, Hatch has displayed true courage time and time
again as he diligently strives to promote conservative principles. But, at
times, Senator Hatch has been a lone voice imploring Congress to "do what is
right" for America's families, such as undertaking initiatives on child care and
health insurance assistance for low-income children. He has also championed
legislation to help people with disabilities participate in society and to
battle violence against women.
In foreign policy, Senator Hatch has always been a conservative
internationalist, believing that America's national security was best maintained
by a strong and focused involvement in world affairs. Since the conclusion of
the cold war, Senator Hatch has worked diligently to address the threat of
terrorism to American interests.
While Orrin Hatch is proud of his Senate accomplishments and his work to
protect family values, his greatest "family value" is his wonderful wife, his
six children, and his 18 grandchildren. He has been married to Elaine Hansen
from Newton, Utah, for 42 years.
