Orrin Hatch: “I rise today to join in honoring a legend, a legend not just in the Senate but also throughout the United States of…”

“I rise today to join in honoring a legend, a legend not just in the Senate but also throughout the United States of America. I have been privileged to serve with Senator Thurmond for 21 of the last nearly 42 years that he has represented the State of South Carolina as one of the premier U.S. Senators in this body. When I first arrived in January 1977, Senator Thurmond was my special mentor. As my senior on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he gave me my first lessons of the committee's processes. Ever since then, he has been a personal and very special friend to me. I have admired Senator Thurmond's strong commitment to federalism and his steadfast support of the prerogatives of both State and local governments. I have admired his toughness in the matters of criminal justice. I have admired his objectivity and fairness when it comes to matters concerning the judiciary. There can be no question that Senator Thurmond has left his mark on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the laws created by it. Nearly 42 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Senate would be a lifetime accomplishment for anybody--certainly for most people. But Senator Thurmond was just warming up when he arrived here for the first time in 1955.”