Solomon Blatt (February 27, 1895 – May 14, 1986) was a long time Democratic legislator of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

from Barnwell County during the middle of the 20th century. He was a principal member of the so-called "

Barnwell Ring The so-called "Barnwell Ring" was a grouping of influential Democratic South Carolina political leaders from Barnwell County. The group included state Senator Edgar A. Brown, state Representative Solomon Blatt, Sr., Governor Joseph Emile Harley, a ...

." His 32-year tenure as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives makes him the second longest-serving leader of any state legislature, surpassed only by

Michael Madigan Michael Joseph Madigan (born April 19, 1942) is an American politician who is the former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He was the longest-serving leader of any state or federal legislative body in the history of the United Sta ...

of Illinois. Blatt was an ardent segregationist and spent decades fighting against racial integration.

Early life and career

Blatt was born in

Blackville, South Carolina Blackville is a small town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,406 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Alexander Black, a railroad promoter. History On December 22, 1781, a band of British Loyalists f ...

, to Nathan and Molly Blatt, both

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

immigrants. Blatt attended the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the

Euphradian Society The Euphradian Society, also known as (Phi Alpha Epsilon), a local societyThus not to be confused with Phi Alpha Epsilon, the national architectural engineering society of the same name. is a literary society A literary society is a group of pe ...

, and he received his L.LB degree in 1917. The same year he was admitted to the state bar, but his legal career was put on hold while he served as a supply sergeant in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with the 81st Division during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the war, he resumed the practice of law with future

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Joseph Emile Harley Joseph Emile Harley (September 14, 1880February 27, 1942) was the List of Governors of South Carolina, 100th governor of South Carolina from 1941 to 1942 and a member of the "Barnwell Ring." Early life and education Harley was born September 14, ...

in the firm Harley & Blatt from 1917 to 1934. From 1934 until his death, he was the senior partner of the firm Blatt & Fales.

Political career

In 1932, Blatt was elected to the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from Barnwell County. Blatt's exceptional political skills were proven by his colleagues unanimously choosing him as the speaker pro tempore of the body in 1935. Two years later in 1937, Blatt ran for the speakership against L. Caston Wannamaker of Chesterfield County. Governor Olin D. Johnston opposed Blatt's bid and actively supported Wannamaker, but Blatt received the backing of the powerful men of the so-called "

." Blatt won a narrow victory and became speaker after just four years of service.

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Prior to his 48 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South Caro ...

campaigned for governor in 1946 on a platform of reform and against ring rule. All across the state, reform candidates for the legislature challenged the incumbent conservative politicians. Blatt faced a Democratic primary challenge from two Barnwell men and he narrowly eked out a win in the first primary. However, Blatt realized that the political climate had shifted and he announced in August 1946 that he would not seek re-election as speaker of the house. Blatt's fervent support of

James F. Byrnes James Francis Byrnes ( ; May 2, 1882 – April 9, 1972) was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch, mos ...

in the 1950 gubernatorial election and his extraordinary political acumen led to his re-election as speaker in 1951. For the next 22 years, Blatt served as speaker and in 1973 the legislature honored him by making him Speaker Emeritus. Blatt was a staunch

segregationist Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Interna ...

, and was one of the primary leaders of South Carolina's efforts against integration.

Personal life

Blatt married Ethel Green on March 20, 1920, and they had one son,

Solomon Blatt, Jr. Solomon "Sol" Blatt Jr. (; August 20, 1921 – April 20, 2016) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and trustee of the University of South Carolina. ...

Blatt served for 53 consecutive years in the legislature and was honored by the Council of State Governments as the longest serving state legislator in the nation. He died in 1986 from heart and respiratory problems. By the time of his death, he was the longest-serving state legislator in the United States.

Legacy

The University of South Carolina's Blatt Physical Education Center is named for Blatt; in July 2021, the university's Presidential Commission on University History recommended removing his name from the building.

References

External links