Bill Orton

Infobox_Congressman
name = Bill Orton


date of birth = birth date and age|1948|9|22
place of birth = North Ogden, Utah
state = Utah
district = 3rd
term_start = January 3, 1991
term_end = January 3, 1997
preceded = Howard C. Nielson
succeeded = Chris Cannon
party = Democrat
spouse =
children =
religion = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

William "Bill" Orton (born September 22, 1948) is a U.S. Democratic Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah from 1991 to 1997.

Born in North Ogden, Utah, Orton is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He attended Brigham Young University, from which he earned his undergraduate degree and his Juris Doctor. In 1966, he was hired by the Internal Revenue Service, and in 1979, he returned to Utah to set up a private law practice.

In 1990, Orton successfully won election to Congress in his first try for political office, defeating Republican Karl Snow by 22 points, a surprising margin given that he was running in one of the most Republican districts in the nation. He was easily reelected in 1992 and 1994. While in the House, Orton served at various times on the Banking, Budget, Small Business, and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Orton was one of the few bright spots for the Democrats when the Republicans took control of the House in the 1994 elections. In a year when many Republican-leaning districts reverted to form, Orton won by just over 19 points. Nonetheless, speculation abounded that his district would not stay Democratic for long. In 1996, Orton was very narrowly defeated by Republican Chris Cannon during his bid for a fourth term. He left Congress as his third term expired in January 1997. Utah and national political pundits blame Orton's loss on the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument without local input. [Davidson, Lee. " [http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/cqcgi_plus/@plus.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=QUIDDBVBPFZN&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=2&CQ_TEXT_MAIN=YES Utah's Congressional Delegation in Position to Influence Clinton] ". Deseret News, 1996-11-13. Last accessed 2007-08-29. ] [Bernick Jr., Bob. " [http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/cqcgi_plus/@plus.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=QUIDDBVBPFZN&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=3&CQ_TEXT_MAIN=YES Orton, Utah are Expendable in Clinton's Political Game Plan] ". Deseret News, 1996-09-30. Last accessed 2007-08-29. ] [Davidson, Lee. [http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/cqcgi_plus/@plus.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=QUIDDBVBPFZN&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=25&CQ_TEXT_MAIN=YES Orton says He's Alive and Well] . Deseret News, 1996-09-25. Last accessed 2007-08-29. ]

Following his departure from Congress, Orton resumed the practice of law and was a member of the legal counsel of the plaintiff in "Idaho Potato Growers v. Ruben", the case in which the line-item veto was ruled unconstitutional. He also joined Advantage Associates, a consulting firm made up of former politicians. In 2000, Orton unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Michael Leavitt for the governorship.

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