Senator Paul Gerhart Hatfield

Paul Gerhart Hatfield (April 29, 1928 – July 3, 2000) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served briefly as a United States Senator from Montana in 1978 and later as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana. A member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during his one term of service in Congress and went on to a long career on the federal bench. His congressional service occurred during a significant period in American history, and as a member of the Senate he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Montana constituents.

Hatfield was born in Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana, on April 29, 1928. He was educated in local schools and went on to attend the College of Great Falls (now the University of Providence) in his hometown. After his undergraduate studies, he entered military service during the Korean War era. From 1951 to 1953 he served in the United States Army Signal Corps with the 181st Signal Depot Company, including overseas duty in Korea from 1952 to 1953. Following his military service, Hatfield returned to Montana to pursue legal studies.

In 1955 Hatfield received a Bachelor of Laws degree from the law school of the University of Montana in Missoula, now known as the Alexander Blewett III School of Law. That same year he was admitted to the Montana bar and commenced the private practice of law in Great Falls. His early legal career quickly led him into public service. From 1959 to 1960 he served as chief deputy county attorney for Cascade County, Montana, gaining prosecutorial and administrative experience that would shape his later judicial work.

Hatfield’s judicial career began in 1961, when he became judge of the Eighth Judicial District of Montana, based in Great Falls. He held that position for fifteen years, from 1961 to 1976, presiding over a wide range of civil and criminal matters during a period of substantial social and legal change. In the 1976 general election he successfully sought statewide judicial office, running for Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court. He defeated long-time Associate Justice Wesley Castles by a vote of 199,536 (67.5%) to 95,947 (32.5%), and took office as Chief Justice in January 1977. His elevation to the state’s highest judicial post marked him as one of Montana’s leading legal figures.

Hatfield’s tenure as Chief Justice was brief, as his judicial career intersected with national politics the following year. On January 22, 1978, Montana Governor Thomas Lee Judge appointed Hatfield to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Lee Metcalf, for the term ending January 3, 1979. Hatfield, a Democrat, served in the Senate from January 22, 1978, until his resignation on December 14, 1978. During this period he participated in the legislative process and represented Montana in the upper chamber of Congress. Seeking to retain the seat in his own right, he entered the Democratic primary in June 1978 but was defeated for the nomination by Congressman Max Baucus. In that primary Baucus received 87,085 votes (65.3%) to Hatfield’s 25,789 (19.3%), with two other minor candidates also in the race. After his nominating defeat, Hatfield continued to serve in the Senate until his resignation, which followed the official certification of Baucus’s election as his successor after the November 1978 general election. Baucus later praised Hatfield as “one of the most decent and thoughtful people I’ve had the privilege of knowing.”

Following his brief but notable service in Congress, Hatfield returned to the judiciary at the federal level. On March 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated him to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Montana, vacated by Judge Russell Evans Smith. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on May 9, 1979, and he received his commission the following day, May 10, 1979. Hatfield served as a United States district judge for more than two decades. He became Chief Judge of the District of Montana in 1990 and held that administrative leadership position until 1996. On February 9, 1996, he assumed senior status, continuing to hear cases and perform judicial duties until the end of his life.

Hatfield resided in Great Falls, Montana, from 1979 until his death. He died in Great Falls on July 3, 2000. He is buried in Riverside Memorial Park in Spokane, Washington. In recognition of his long service to the state and the nation—as a state trial judge, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, United States Senator, and federal district judge—the Paul G. Hatfield Courthouse in Helena, Montana, was named in his honor.