years, Blatt served as speaker and in 1973 the legislature honored him by making him Speaker Emeritus. Blatt was a staunch segregationist, 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. 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 Statehouse Biography of Solomon Blatt USC Biography of Solomon Blatt Solomon Blatt Papers Solomon Blatt Physical Education Center NY Times obituary of Solomon Blatt Find a Grave memorial Further reading Workman, Jr., W.D. "The Ring That Isn't." Perspectives in South Carolina History: the First 300 Years. Eds. Ernest M. Lander, Jr. and Robert K. Ackerman. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1973. 393–407. 1895 births 1986 deaths People from Blackville, South Carolina University of South Carolina alumni South Carolina lawyers United States Army personnel of World War I University of South Carolina trustees Speakers of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives American people of Russian-Jewish descent 20th-century American politicians United States Army soldiers 20th-century American lawyers