Sam George Solon (June 25, 1931 – December 28, 2001) was a

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

politician, and a member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

and the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he served in the legislature for over 30 years, 28 of those years in the senate. He died of

malignant melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

in 2001.

Early years and education

Solon was born in

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

in 1931. He graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1949 and served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

from 1952 to 1954. He earned his B.S. in

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

in 1958 from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in Duluth. After graduation, he worked as a high school teacher and coach. He also served as chair of Duluth's alcoholic beverage board from 1967 to 1970.

Legislative career

In 1970, Solon ran for and won a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing the old District 60 prior to legislative

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

. He served one term, then ran for and won a seat in the Minnesota Senate in 1972, representing the new District 7. From then on, he faced scant opposition, defeating most opponents by better than 70 percent. While in the senate, Solon chaired the Health, Welfare, and Corrections committee from 1981 to 1982, then chaired the Commerce Committee in its various incarnations from 1983 until his death. He was also chair of the Education Subcommittee for Assessment and Accountability from 1975 to 1976, and of the Commerce Subcommittee for Banking from 1977 to 1980. He was an appointed member of the Minnesota Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board from 1979 to 2001.

Legislative accomplishments

Through the years, Solon's special legislative concerns included health and welfare, education, economic development, higher education, seniors, drugs and crime, health insurance, and employment. Among his accomplishments, he worked to improve the Lake Superior Zoo and expand Duluth's convention center. He helped attract the

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger, merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline ...

maintenance base and the construction of a new aquarium. He was also the primary sponsor legislation mandating the extension of

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

through downtown Duluth. In August 2001, the University of Minnesota in Duluth honored his contributions to the school by naming a campus center after him.

Family life

Solon was married three times, and had six children. He died of complications arising from malignant melanoma on December 28, 2001. His last wife, Yvonne Prettner Solon, succeeded him in the Minnesota Senate.

References

External links

"Sen. Sam Solon dies of cancer" Minnesota Public Radio: December 28, 2001"Longtime legislator passes away" Session Weekly p. 21 - February 1, 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solon, Sam 1931 births 2001 deaths Politicians from Duluth, Minnesota Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature