Paul G. Hatfield

Paul G. Hatfield

Paul Gerhart Hatfield (born April 29, 1928 in Great Falls , Montana ; † July 3, 2000 ibid) was an American lawyer and politician who represented the state of Montana in the United States Senate.

Life

Career

Paul Hatfield grew up in Great Falls, where he was a student at the local college from 1947 to 1950 . Hatfield had to interrupt his university studies at the University of Great Falls because he was sent to the Korean War in 1951 as a soldier in the United States Army . In the army he was a member of the US Army Signal Corps . After returning to Montana in 1953, he resumed his law studies at the University of Montana , graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Laws degree . In the same year he received his license to practice law in the state of Montana.

After about four years practicing law in Great Falls, he successfully ran for the post of Assistant District Attorney for Cascade County in 1959 . After about a year, Hatfield was appointed to the Eighth District Court of Montana in 1961; he stayed there for 15 years, until 1976. In the same year he was appointed Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court , the state's supreme court. He held the office for two years, until 1978.

Political career

After the death of US Senator Lee Metcalf in January 1978, Hatfield was appointed as his successor by Montana's Governor Thomas Lee Judge . Hatfield, who was a member of the Democratic Party , was sworn in on January 22, 1978. Although Hatfield was in office for less than a year, he made history as his vote voted to ratify the Torrijos-Carter Treaties . These intended to return the Panama Canal from the USA to Panama . Since a two-thirds majority in the Senate was imperative for the law, the senators were asked to vote in the order of the length of their term of office. Hatfield's voting was the 67th vote to vote in favor of the law. Since many conservative voters in Montana did not agree with Hatfield's decision, Panama-Paul - as he was called from now on by some media and voters - had a very difficult time when he stood for the popular election in November 1978. Max Baucus , also a Democrat, could not only win the primary elections, but also the election in November 1978. Hatfield then announced his immediate resignation on December 12, 1978.

Late life

In 1979 he was briefly legal advisor to the Democratic Group in the US Senate, until he was appointed judge at the Federal District Court for the Montana District by US President Jimmy Carter as the successor to Russell Evans Smith . He stayed that way until 1996 when he retired.

Paul G. Hatfield was married to Dorothy Ann Allen Hatfield from 1958 until her death in 1992. The marriage resulted in two daughters, Kathleen and Susan, and a son, Paul. Hatfield himself died of a heart attack at the age of 72 in July 2000 at his home in Great Falls .

Web links

• Paul G. Hatfield in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Paul G. Hatfield in the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges