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

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

from Barnwell County during the middle of the 20th century. He was a principal member of the so-called " Barnwell Ring." 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 and convicted felon who is the former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the longes ...

of Illinois. Blatt was an ardent segregationist and spent decades fighting against racial integration. Later in life his views on race relations changed.

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 ...

, 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 po ...

immigrants. Blatt attended the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, where he was a member of the

Euphradian Society The Euphradian Society, also known as Phi Alpha Epsilon (), is a collegiate debating and literary society founded in 1806 at the University of South Carolina, then known as South Carolina College. History The Euphradian Society was formed as ...

, 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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

with the 81st Division during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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

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

Joseph Emile Harley 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, seatin ...

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

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

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 the U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch ...

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 separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...

, and was one of the primary leaders of South Carolina's efforts against integration. Later in his life and career Blatt’s views on race relations evolved, and upon his retirement he stated that he was proud to live in a state where ‘no longer a man's religious views, political affiliations or the color of his skin can in any way prevent him from walking the road of life to a distance far beyond that which he expected in the years gone by...’ Blatt also voted in March 1974 to designate January 15 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Personal life

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

'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