Mark Hatfield has been a student, teacher, and practitioner of the American political system for virtually his entire life. A veteran of the Pacific Theater in World War II, Mark Hatfield has dedicated his life to preventing and ending armed conflict and improving the human condition through a lifetime of public service. While teaching political science and serving as Dean of Students at his alma mater, Willamette University, Mark Hatfield began his political career in the Oregon Legislature in 1950. After two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and two years in the Oregon Senate, he became the youngest Secretary of State in Oregon history in 1956 at age 34. He was elected Governor of Oregon in 1958 and became the state's first two-term governor in the twentieth century when he was re-elected in 1962. He has never lost an election.
In 1968, then-Governor Mark Hatfield was elected to the United States Senate as an outspoken critic of the war in Vietnam. In August of 1993, he became the longest serving U.S. Senator from Oregon, surpassing the previous record set by Charles McNary.
A deeply religious man, Hatfield has always sought peaceful resolutions to world conflicts and domestic disputes. As a Lieutenant, j.g., in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Hatfield saw battle at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was among the first U.S. servicemen to enter Hiroshima following the atomic bombing.
His experience during the war and his compassion for life have made him an ardent proponent for nuclear disarmament. Hatfield's tireless efforts to bring an end to the proliferation of nuclear weapons culminated in 1992 with the passage of legislation he authored calling for an end to U.S. nuclear testing.
At the national level, Senator Hatfield constantly strove to remind his colleagues of what he called "the desperate human needs in our midst." He consistently opposed increases in defense spending and United States military involvement abroad while focusing on improving health, education, and social services programs.
Mark Hatfield's distinguished career in public service ended in early January, 1997, with his retirement from the United States Senate. In private life, he returns to the college classroom, serving as guest lecturer at George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon; Portland State University; and his alma mater Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. He continues a long-standing commitment to the medical research community though his association with the Lasker Foundation of New York. In addition, he serves on numerous local and national boards and commissions, including the FDR Memorial Commission, the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Symphony Foundation, the Oregon Health Sciences Foundation Mercy Corps International, and the Omega Point Foundation.