Treasury." Bennett spoke at the Convention of the American Mining Congress in 1963 that declared the coin and silver problem had reached a catastrophic level. His views were faced with much criticism. Two years later, to function properly, the Treasury proposed a new set of coins. Bennett joined forces with the administration and worked on a solution, the Coinage Act of 1965, which he got through Congress to be enacted into law. Leadership During his 23 years in the Senate, Bennett earned a reputation as a conservative and a pro-business advocate by opposing government regulations and supporting right-to-work laws. He served as a member of the Senate Finance and Banking and Currency Committees, as well as the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy and Defense Production. Bennett was the vice chairman of Senate Ethics Committee. Bennett voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the US Supreme Court, but Bennett did not vote on the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He also supported a measure that prohibited federal aid to schools that practiced racial discrimination. He opposed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the creation of Medicare. He also voted against the Equal Rights Amendment. He was also instrumental in bringing the Central Utah Project and the defense and aerospace industries to Utah. By the end of his political career, Bennett was the ranking Republican on Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee. He was "recognized as one of the nations leading fiscal and monetary experts." Bennett declined to seek re-election in 1974 and resigned on December 20 of that year to let his elected successor, Jake Garn, take office early and gain seniority. Later life After his departure from the Senate, Bennett returned to Salt Lake City, resumed his business pursuits, and served on a variety of boards. When his son Robert was elected to his former Senate seat in 1992, the elder Bennett said, "Bob and I have made Utah history. We are the first father and son combination to be elected to the U.S. Senate in this state." Bennett died at his home in Salt Lake City at the age of 95. He is buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. See also Bennett Amendment References Sources Bennett, Wallace F.