SALT LAKE CITY — Orrin Hatch, Utah's longest-serving U.S. senator, has died.
The Orrin G. Hatch Foundation announced that he passed away Saturday at 5:30 p.m. surrounded by his family. He was 88 years old. No specific cause of death was given.
Hatch was a senator from 1977 to 2019. His 42-year tenure made him the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history. He also served as the president pro tempore of the Senate from 2015 until his retirement.
He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, attended college at Brigham Young University, then moved back to Utah in 1969 after attending law school at the University of Pittsburgh and practicing there for seven years.
Reactions from political figures poured infollowing the announcement of Hatch's passing, with many sharing fond memories of the former lawmaker and condolences to his family.
