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Floor Speech

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Mr. LEE. Mr. President, Orrin G. Hatch will be remembered for many things. His 42 years of service in this body are marked by successes; historic and prolific legislation; and, of course, statesmanship. He served longer as a U.S. Senator than any other in the history of the State of Utah or in the history of the Republican Party.

At his retirement, he had passed more bills into law than any other legislator alive, an astounding 750. While the record of his service is remarkable and memorable, I invite the Senate and the Nation to remember Senator Orrin Hatch by the things that he remembered every day, here in the Senate and in his private life.

Every day upon entering his Senate office, Orrin Hatch would look upon a prominently hung painting depicting his Utah pioneer grandfather and great-grandfather as they were fording a stream on horseback. This image, like so much else in his life, was a reminder of Senator Hatch's pioneer legacy, his ancestry, and destiny.

In Utah, there is almost no more honorable title than that of pioneer. In the particular parlance of our State, a pioneer is not merely someone who goes where others haven't gone before. No, a pioneer looks toward the future without forgetting who he or she is. A pioneer, like those who settled the Salt Lake Valley and much of the western United States, does so not out of conquest or in search of glory; a pioneer goes and works out of duty and responsibility and faith.

Orrin Hatch always remembered his roots. Raised the son of a mechanical laborer, he grew up in a family of little means. Orrin was one of nine children raised in a cramped Depression-era home without indoor plumbing. Two of Orrin's siblings died young. Another, his older brother Jesse, gave the ultimate sacrifice as a turret gunner flying over Austria mere months before the Allied victory in Europe.

Orrin always remembered this example of work and sacrifice from his parents and from his brother Jesse. The sense of duty to God, family, and Nation was the primary driver throughout his life.

He served a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints in Ohio. He became the first in his family to graduate from college, attending Brigham Young University. He met Elaine Hansen, and the couple married in 1957. They later returned to Pittsburgh, PA, and Orrin completed law school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, while living in what had previously served as a chicken coop in his parents' backyard. He worked as a metalworker and as a janitor to provide for his family while attending law school.

Never one to make much of a fuss about it, Orrin Hatch just did the work that was expected of him, and he did it remarkably well. He knew that life was not easy and that he couldn't expect handouts. He developed the reputation of a fighter, and while a dedicated friend with an inviting laugh, he would never forget the lessons he had learned young while in the amateur boxing ring.

After moving back to Utah and running a successful law practice in Salt Lake City, Orrin ran for the Senate to fight for the moral fiber and everyday work ethic of Americans that he felt was not being represented adequately in Washington, DC. He won, and he set out to defend family values and constitutional principles.

He would remember to do so throughout his career, pioneering the Hatch Amendment, a proposed constitutional amendment that sought to correct the erroneous claim that there is a constitutional right to abortion, one that prohibits States from protecting unborn human life, and steadfastly advocating for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Orrin Hatch defended life, religious liberty, economic responsibility, and personal freedom throughout his entire service in the U.S. Senate. His 750 proposals that became law cover everything from welfare reform to regulatory restructuring, to laws adjusting the Federal judiciary, to hallmark tax cuts. Hatch's tenure in the Senate was marked by his chairmanship of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Finance Committee, before serving as President Pro Tempore.

Senator Hatch helped rein in activist Federal judges and reformed the entire Federal judiciary, and has helped restore the true meaning of the Constitution as applied and interpreted by our courts.

Senator Hatch played a prime role in the nomination of every Supreme Court Justice for decades. He defended the Court and the honor of Justices serving and presenting themselves with different judicial philosophies.

Beyond his countless political accomplishments, Orrin Hatch was a dedicated father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and man of faith. He always remembered the most important things in life. He composed countless songs of praise and of patriotism. He served as a volunteer leader in his church congregations and in his communities. He founded the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation to carry on and remember his work and advocacy for collegiality and bipartisanship after his retirement from the Senate.

Orrin Hatch always remembered Utah. On weekends, you could find him at the grocery store, in his church congregation, rubbing elbows with people he knew and loved. He would talk about the politics of the day but also the news affecting communities and families he cared for. Those who knew him felt the care and the interest that he had.

After I had served as his Senate page, as a high school student, there were just a couple of photos on my wall as a teenager. One was of Karl Malone in his Utah Jazz jersey and another was a photo of me with Senator Orrin Hatch, one of my prized possessions.

Later, when I was serving as a missionary along the U.S.-Mexico border, on the Texas side, Senator Hatch sent me a note, along with a $10 check, suggesting that I use it to go get a good lunch. I cherished the note and never could cash the check. You see, the memory and the memento were worth so much more than the lunch it could buy. I still have that check. It is a prized possession.

Orrin Hatch also remembered to work. He would come to the Senate early and stay late. He would think years ahead and persistently, methodically, pursue his plans. He would take the time to build coalitions behind ideas and bring about needed reforms. Senator Hatch knew that the Senate was designed to be the cooling saucer, where ideas would steep and percolate, often over the course of years and even decades.

Yet Orrin always remembered the people behind the politics. He was a mentor and a friend to Senators from both sides of the aisle, and he built deep friendships with people of all political backgrounds. He cherished a friendship with Senator Ted Kennedy and called the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg a dear friend.

He instilled his hallmark good humor and sense of duty on the newer Members of the Senate. I was one of them. He greeted and accepted me warmly--mentioning only a few times over the years the fact that I had, decades previously, served as his Senate page.

He was a force for collegiality and cooperation, and while he remained dedicated to the principles and people who brought him to the Senate, he would work with anyone and everyone to get the job done.

Orrin Hatch was a giant of the Senate and a veritable pillar in Utah. His influence, his hearty laugh, and powerful advice are missed by us here in the Senate and by millions in Utah. I know I speak for the entire Senate in sending our deepest condolences and warmest appreciation to Elaine and to their children--Brent, Marcia, Scott, Kimberly, Alysa, and Jess, as well as their grandchildren and great- grandchildren.

The gift of Senator Hatch's life of service has made our State and our Nation better.

As I said, there is perhaps no more noble title in Utah than that of pioneer. Orrin Hatch was a pioneer, through and through--not just the descendant of pioneers but a pioneer in his own right. He followed in the footsteps of his forebearers, and he left a legacy of dedication, of service, and of truth.

I commend his memory to the history of our Republic, in the words of a beloved hymn fittingly entitled ``They the Builders of the Nation.'' Here is how it goes:

They, the builders of the nation,

Blazing trails along the way;

Stepping-stones for generations

Were their deeds of every day.

Building new and firm foundations,

Pushing on the wild frontier,

Forging onward, ever onward,

Blessed, honored Pioneer!

I bid my friend Senator Orrin Hatch onward, ever onward. May we as a nation forever remember his legacy is my prayer.

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