Similarly, after his brief candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, he gave centrist generosity to the eventual winner George W. Bush. “I like the fact that he can reach through guerrilla lines,” Mr Hatch told Mr Bush. “We can’t just take a narrow agenda and be cramped for a few people in this country. We must be for everyone. “
For all his conservative qualities, Mr. Hatch had a long and genuine friendship with Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the typical Liberal Democrat. They spoke frequently and shared legislative achievements, including programs to help AIDS patients, protect people with disabilities from discrimination, and provide health insurance for the working poor. Mr Hatch delivered a moving speech at Mr Kennedy’s funeral in 2009.
The New York Times in 1981 described Mr. Hatch as “an aggressive, ambitious man who looks a lot like a minister who travels.” He was, in fact, a bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Away from Capitol Hill, he leads a quiet family life, a father of six. He ran, played golf, and looked like an athlete, even after his dark hair turned white.
Senators, even Republicans, called him relatively humorless. His idea for a good joke with him was a video that caught him trying to take off his glasses, which he was not wearing during a controversial Senate hearing. It went viral online. A spokesman said he laughed at himself when he saw it and created a fake Warby Parker page, hinting that the invisible glasses were the new rage.
Mr. Hatch was an amateur boxer in his youth, with 11 fights. He is also a pianist, violinist and organist, writes songs for pop groups and folk singers. In the early 1970s, he was the manager of the Mormon-based Free Agency. He also writes books on politics and religion and articles for periodicals and newspapers, including The Times.
He was 42 years old, a tall and thin lawyer in Salt Lake City when he went to Washington in 1977, after winning three Democrat terms with Ronald Reagan’s approval for Warren Hatch. The former California governor lost his Republican presidential nomination to President Gerald Ford, but will take office with his conservative revolution in 1980, considering Mr Hatch an ally.
As a freshman in the Senate, Mr. Hatch found mentors among the deepest conservatives: Democrats James O. Eastland of Mississippi and Jim Allen of Alabama and Democrat Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. However, he did not share their passion for racial segregation.
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