Sam Solon

Sam George Solon (June 25, 1931 – December 28, 2001) was a Minnesota politician, and a member of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat, he served in the legislature for over 30 years, 28 of those years in the senate. He died of melanoma in 2001.

Early years and education Solon was born in Duluth in 1931, the son of Greek immigrants. He graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1949 and served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954. He earned his B.S. in Education in 1958 from the University of Minnesota in Duluth. After graduation, he worked as a junior high school social studies teacher

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.