A graduate of Brigham Young University (1959) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (1962), Orrin Hatch practiced law in both Pennsylvania and Utah. In 1976 he was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Utah, defeating the three-term incumbent, Frank Moss. Over time he became one of the most prominent conservatives in the Senate, as well as one of the most prominent members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the public eye. Hatch was re-elected in 1982, 1988 and 1994, 2000 and 2006.

Extra credit: Hatch is a poet and lyricist who has produced several albums of patriotic and religious music.