Rep. Bill Orton

Democrat (1991-97)

Published: Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006 6:54 p.m. MDT
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Bill Orton, now 57, was defeated by current Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, largely because Utahns were upset that Orton could not stop fellow-Democrat Bill Clinton from forming the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument just before the 1996 election.

For a time he returned to work as a tax attorney. But a back injury suffered when he was in Congress has forced him into early retirement for physical reasons — and he says he spends most of his time being a dad to his two sons.

When he was in Congress, he was assaulted from behind by a Capitol furniture mover who mistook Orton for someone else who had bumped him in a crowded hall and had not apologized.

"He was a 6-foot-5 former football linebacker. He pleaded guilty to felony assault on a member of Congress and had three years probation for psychiatric treatment," Orton says.

"My back injury continued to get worse. I went back part time as a tax attorney, then I had to completely retire from all practice," he says.

He says he does not miss politics at all. "It was never my intention to have a career in politics. When I ran for office, it was my intention to serve for a short period and go back into private life."

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He did run unsuccessfully for governor in 1992 against Mike Leavitt. But he says that's "because nobody else was running" among Democrats. "Rather than have no one on the ballot, I agreed to run. I feel people should at least have a choice."

About Congress, he says, "I don't miss the partisan fighting. I do miss my friends, and I miss working on issues. I was a policy wonk and really got into issues.... I don't miss campaigning or trying to raise money."

Recent comments

With political season in full force, I've dipped into the various...

Bruce | May 8, 2008 at 7:54 p.m.

Bill Orton is a power-hungry liar. He claims to not want to be into...

associate of Bill | Dec. 5, 2007 at 9:38 p.m.

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