Orrin Grant Hatch (born March 22, 1934) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States Senator for Utha who has been the President pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2015. Having been a senator since 1977, Hatch is the longest-serving Republican Senator in US history. And this position makes Senator Hatch the third in line of succession to the presidency, following after the vice President and the Speaker of the House. In 2018, Hatch announced that he would retire at the end of his seventh term in the Senate, in January 2019.
Orrin Hatch's connection to Canton Glarus is through his mother, Helen Frances née Kamm (1906-1995). She is the daughter of John Bernard Kamm (1876-1948) who was born in Sevelen and emigrated with his parents Gottlieb Kamm (1838-1869) and Ursula née Hagmann (1850-1927) to the US. Gottlieb Kamm originate from Obstalden, Canton Glarus and was the son of Johannes Kamm (1803-1861) and Susanna Barbara née Brändli (1807-1845). Johannes Kamm was the son of Zacharias Kamm (1756-1827), a military captain and valuer, and Anna Grob (1774-1857).
The Origin of the Kamm family
The Kamm family has been documented on Kerenzen since 1373 and has been a reformed council since the 16th century. The Kamm's can be found in all three communities of the Kerenzerberg: Filzbach, Obstalden and Mühlehorn. The older spelling is mainly Cham.
The appearance of the "Hug Cham ab Kirchentzen" as a witness in the legal case of Mrs. Hedwig, Rudolf Stüssi's mother in Zurich in 1373, suggests the possibility of the original Zurich descent of the Kamm. The Cham living in Zurich had different origins. Resident there and recognized as a citizen was the noble family "von Cham", which was named after the castle Cham on the Lake of Zug. A connection with the Zurich noble family Cham, which desisted two mayors of the city of Zurich, is questionable.
In 1492 Hans Kamm from Kerenzen is murdered by Peter Strub on Schwyzer ground. Peter Kamm of Obstalden founded the still existing Kamm line in the Netherlands.
Interpretation of the Coat of Arms of the Family Kamm
The family crest shows a golden, rising lion in red, holding a silver comb (Kamm in German). The helmet is a stirrup helmet with four temples in silver. The helmet ornament repeats the golden lion holding a silver comb. The helmet cover repeats the shield colors and surrounds the shiled like a plant. The inside shows the gold of the lion and the outside the red of the shield. The shild is a semicircular shield, which was often and long used as a crest shape. The lion stands as a symbol of strength and assertiveness. Gold stands for understanding, respect, virtue and generosity. The color red stands for service for the home country.
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