Former Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch has died at 88, according to a press release from his foundation.
Highlights
- Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in US history, died Saturday at the age of 88.
- The former Senate president pro tempore served in the Senate from 1977 to 2019.
- An ardent conservative, Hatch favored corporate tax cuts, limited government, deregulation and military spending.
- The late former lawmaker was also the chairman emeritus of the Hatch Foundation, which focuses on civic engagement and political discourse.
- He authored and co-authored several pieces of historic legislation such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Hatch’s leadership for “driving legislative leadership of major legislative catalog”