(CNN) Former Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in US history, died in Salt Lake City on Saturday at the age of 88.
"A man of wisdom, kindness, character, and compassion, Orrin G. Hatch was everything a United States Senator should be," said A. Scott Anderson, chairman of the Hatch Foundation.
In a nation divided, Orrin Hatch helped show us a better way by forging meaningful friendships on both sides of the aisle.".
An ardent conservative, Hatch favored corporate tax cuts, limited government, deregulation and military spending during his time in office.
Hatch also drew criticism for helping then-President Donald Trump dismantle the Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.
"Senator Orrin G. Hatch personified the American Dream," Matt Sandgren, executive director of the Hatch Foundation, said in its release.
"I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of the great Senator Orrin Hatch, his wife Elaine, and his six children. »