What Was Orrin Hatch's Net Worth?
Orrin Hatch was an American attorney, politician, and composer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2022. According to his 2016 financial disclosure, Orrin Hatch estimated his net worth at that time to be $4.4 million. Orrin was best known for being a long-time United States Senator from Utah. Hatch received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 and a Canterbury Medal in 2020. Orrin Hatch died on April 23, 2022, at the age of 88.
From January 1981 to January 1987, he served as the Chair of the Senate Labor Committee. He was also a three-time Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and served as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee from January 2015 to January 2019. Orrin was the Chair of the Joint Pensions Committee from March 2018 to January 2019. He served as a United States Senator from Utah from January 1977 to January 2019. Hatch was the President pro tempore of the United States Senate from January 2015 to January 2019, when he retired.
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Early Life
Orrin Hatch was born on March 22, 1934, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His parents were Jesse Hatch and Helen Hatch, both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His father worked as a metal lather. Orrin grew up with eight brothers and sisters, though two of them died early in life. In 1945, his older brother Jesse, a U.S. Army Air Forces gunner, was killed while fighting in World War II in Austria. The loss profoundly affected him. The Hatch family struggled for money, and Orrin grew up in poverty. He was the first of his family to attend college and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in history in 1959. He then attended the University of Pittsburg School of Law and received his Juris Doctor. While in law school, he lived with his young family in a refurbished chicken coop behind his parents' house.
Career
After law school, Hatch worked as an attorney in Pittsburgh before moving to Utah in 1969 to continue to practice law. There, he started to get more interested in politics. In 1976, he made his first run for public office and was elected to the United States Senate. Orrin defeated Democrat Frank Moss, a three-term incumbent. While campaigning to replace Moss, Hatch criticized Moss's 18-year tenure and ran on the promise of imposing term limits. In 1982, Hatch won re-election, defeating Ted Wilson, who was the mayor of Salt Lake City at the time. He was re-elected to the seat again in 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2012.
During his 42-year career in the Senate, Hatch was involved in many committees and groups. He chaired the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions from 1981 to 1987. He also served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. In September 1989, Orrin was appointed as one of nine Republican senators to negotiate a dispute with Democrats over the financing of President George H.W. Bush's anti-drug plan. He also helped pass landmark legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Hatch expressed interest throughout his career in serving on the United States Supreme Court, given his legal background. He was reportedly on President Ronald Reagan's short list of candidates to succeed Lewis F. Powell Jr. but was passed over due in part to the Ineligibility Clause, which makes incumbent members of Congress ineligible to hold an office established by the federal government during their term.
In January 2015, after the 114th United States Congress was sworn in, Hatch became President pro tempore of the Senate, the second-highest ranking office in the Senate. He was a supporter of President Donald Trump during the 2016 election season and was absent from the 2017 Inauguration Day festivities as Trump has requested him to act as a designated survivor. Orrin was kept at a secret, undisclosed location during the event. In December of 2017, Hatch was named the "Utahn of the Year" by "The Salt Lake Tribune."
In January 2018, Hatch announced he would retire from the Senate instead of seeking re-election in November. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving U.S. Republican Senator. Orrin was surpassed later by fellow senators Ted Stevens, Strom Thurmond, Chuck Grassley, and Don Young. On November 16, 2018, President Donald Trump awarded Hatch the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of his service.
As a conservative, Orrin was a proponent of many conservative policies. He strongly opposed abortion and authored the Hatch Amendment, which would have amended the U.S. Constitution to state that there is no constitutional right to abortion. He was opposed to President Barack Obama's health reform legislation. He also was an advocate of tougher immigration enforcement policies, though he supported legislation to better facilitate the immigration process and create more pathways to citizenship. Hatch's stance on LGBT rights over the years shifted, as he initially did not support gay marriage but later supported legislation protecting marriage rights for all and for programs aimed at serving LGBT youth.
Personal Life and Death
In 1957, Hatch married Elaine Hansen. They had six children together during their marriage. Orrin was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in various positions in the church throughout his life, including as a bishop. Additionally, he published a book in 1995 entitled "Higher Laws: Understanding the Doctrines of Christ." Hatch was a co-founder and co-chair of the Federalist Society, an organization of conservative lawyers. He was also on the board of directors of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Hatch had a number of hobbies and interests. As a young man, he was an amateur boxer. He was also very musical and played the piano, violin, and organ. Orrin composed many songs for other artists. One of his songs, "Unspoken," went platinum after appearing on the compilation Christian album "WOW Hits 2005." He also co-wrote the song "Heal Our Land" with Janice Kapp-Perry, which was performed at George W. Bush's 2005 inauguration.
In April 1988, Hatch suffered a stroke. He died in Salt Lake City on April 23, 2022, from complications from the stroke. He was buried in Newton.
