Thais F. O'Donnell Shuler Blatnik (November 20, 1919 – December 9, 2015) was an American journalist and politician who served in both chambers of the

West Virginia Legislature The West Virginia Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI ...

Early life and education

Born in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...

, Blatnik grew up in

Weirton, West Virginia Weirton ( ) is a city in Hancock and Brooke counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located along the Ohio River in the state's Northern Panhandle. The population was 19,163 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-most populous ...

. She graduated from

West Liberty University West Liberty University (WLU) is a public university in West Liberty, West Virginia, United States. Located in the state's Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, Northern Panhandle, it was established as an academy in 1837 and is the oldest unive ...

Career

Blatnik worked as a reporter for the ''Weirton Daily Times'', '' The Wheeling Intelligencer'', and as an editor for the '' Dominion Post''. Blatnik served in the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature in West Virginia. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular se ...

from 1977 to 1978 and again from 1980 to 1986. She then served in the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the West Virginia Democratic Party, Democratic P ...

from 1989 to 1996 as 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 ...

Personal life

Blatnik died in Wheeling, West Virginia. Her granddaughter, Amy Shuler Goodwin, is the mayor of

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

References

1919 births 2015 deaths People from Weirton, West Virginia Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia Journalists from West Virginia Women state legislators in West Virginia Democratic Party members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party West Virginia state senators West Liberty University alumni 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the West Virginia Legislature 20th-century American women politicians {{WestVirginia-politician-stub