1. William Orton was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah from 1991 to 1997.
17 Facts About Bill Orton
1. 2.
Bill Orton attended Brigham Young University, from which he earned his undergraduate degree and his Juris Doctor.
3.
Bill Orton was hired in 1966, at age 16, by the Internal Revenue Service, and continued his employment there throughout high school, college and law school.
4.
In 1990, Bill Orton ran for the open 3rd District seat, his first bid for public office.
5.
Bill Orton defeated Republican Karl Snow by 22 points, a major upset considering that the 3rd, then as now, was reckoned as strongly Republican.
6.
Bill Orton was a founder and member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of United States Congressional Representatives from the Democratic Party who identify themselves as moderates and conservatives.
7.
Bill Orton was one of the few bright spots for the Democrats when the Republicans took control of the House in the 1994 elections.
8.
In 1996, Bill Orton was narrowly defeated by Republican businessman Chris Cannon during his bid for a fourth term.
9.
Bill Orton left Congress as his third term expired in January 1997, and no Democrat would be elected to Congress from Utah again until Jim Matheson's victory in 2000.
10.
The Democrats have not seriously contested the 3rd District since then; indeed, no Democrat has crossed the 40 percent mark since Bill Orton's defeat, proving just how Republican this district was.
11.
Bill Orton voted with his party only 58 percent of the time, which was the ninth lowest score of House Democrats.
12.
Congressional historians believe Bill Orton to be the only person in the history of the United States to argue and vote against a piece of legislation in Congress, have it signed into law, then successfully argue to have it overturned by the US Supreme Court.
13.
In 2000, Bill Orton unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Michael Leavitt for the governorship.
14.
Bill Orton was a superdelegate during the 2008 Democratic Party primary, casting his vote for Barack Obama.
15.
Bill Orton won the election, and the ad was perceived by some to have backfired.
16.
On July 2,1994, while in office, 45-year old Bill Orton married 29-year old Jacquelyn Massey, an associate director of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions and a former House Banking Committee staffer.
17.
Bill Orton died in an ATV accident on April 18,2009, at Little Sahara Recreation Area in Juab County, Utah.