Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott speaks to reporters, March 4, 2024, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, after qualifying to run for reelection to Congress in suburban Atlanta's 13th Congressional District.
David Scott, a longtime Georgia politician and businessman, has died. He was 80 years old.
Known for his over 23-year tenure in the United States Congress, Scott garnered a respectable reputation among peers for his staunch advocacy for farmers, healthcare, education and veterans.
The son of Mamie Polite Scott and Albert James Scott, the politician was born on June 27, 1945, in the small South Carolina town of Aynor.
During his adolescence, Scott moved between several towns and regions, the first of which was Scranton, Pennsylvania, at age 5, where he lived with his paternal grandparents.
After a yearlong stint at the age of 10 with his maternal grandmother on a South Carolina farm, Scott was reunited with his parents in Scarsdale, New York, where the couple served as the in-home workers for a wealthy family.
“I learned at a very young age how to have confidence in myself and how to get along with people who don’t look like me,” he noted in the 2006 book, “Politics in America.”
Scott’s family relocated to Daytona Beach, Florida, in his teenage years. His father, Albert, opened a garbage-collection business, where he worked until he graduated from high school in 1963.
He soon left Daytona for Tallahassee to attend Florida A&M University on several academic scholarships, where he graduated with his B.A. in English and speech in 1967.
During his summer breaks at FAMU, he was a management intern in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Management Relations, based in Washington, D.C.
Former Atlanta Braves Baseball player, Henry Arron, center, laughs as he’s surprised on his 45th birthday with a cake presented by Jane Pauley on NBC -TV’s Today Show in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 1979. Seated left is Georgia legislator and actor David Scott enjoying the celebration with Tom Brokaw, right, who co-host the show with Pauley. Aaron holds baseball’s record for most home runs hit. A portrait of the late poet Langston Hughes hangs in the background. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)
After graduating from FAMU, he earned his MBA with honors from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. That same year, he married Alfredia Aaron, the youngest sister of Major League Baseball legend Hank Aaron.
The couple moved to Atlanta shortly after their marriage, a city that they would call home for the remainder of Scott’s life.
In the early 1970s, the young graduate followed in his father’s footsteps by opening his own advertising business, Dayn-Mark. He also dabbled in the performing arts, serving as the creator and performer of “Langston!,” a Georgia PBS production on the life and times of poet Langston Hughes.
The up-and-coming entrepreneur soon found work as a consultant for then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter regarding revenue policy. He would later credit Carter for having “a tremendous impact” on his life and political career.
His experience with Carter soon opened the door for Scott to work on Andrew Young’s congressional campaign in 1972. Two years later, Scott was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he served from 1975-1982.
Notable moments from his time in office included creating laws that would assist in enabling gun safety, including making it a felony in the state of Georgia to knowingly sell or provide a minor with a firearm, and holding parents accountable for keeping their firearms out of reach from their children.
In addition, Scott also helped to create PeachCare, which provides health insurance for Georgia children.
In 1983, Scott departed from his role in the Georgia House to begin what would become a 19-year tenure in the Georgia Senate as a member of the 36th district.
During that time, Scott wrote several major laws that benefit Georgians to this day, including allowing Georgia women undergoing breast cancer surgery to determine the length of medical care through physician consultation, restricting landfills in residential communities, and providing sex education and AIDS prevention curricula in Georgia public schools.
President Barack Obama is greeted by, from left to right: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.; Rep. David Scott, D-Ga.; Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as he and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, right, arrive at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga., Monday, Aug. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
In 2002, Scott took on the most prominent political position of his career when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, representing an area including Henry, Clayton, DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton and Gwinnett counties.
Scott served 12 consecutive terms in office, quickly becoming a staunch advocate at the nation’s capital for education, better healthcare and military service members.
For the latter, he took the lead in authoring bills that would later allow veterans and children to receive in-state tuition while pursuing higher education, as well as paying off the student loans of mental health professionals who choose to work with Veteran Affairs.
He was also a prominent supporter of farmers. In the 2018 Farm Bill, Scott secured $80 million in funding for the 19 Historically Black 1890’s Land-Grant Colleges and Universities.
Agriculture Secretary-designate, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, center, accompanied by former Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., left, and Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., right, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 23, 2017, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
In 2021, Scott became the first African American Chair of the powerful House Agriculture Committee, a job he says he was destined to hold.
“No people paid the dues to agriculture and farming than our African American people,” he said in a 2021 interview with “Morning Edition.“ “I cropped the tobacco, picked the cotton, plowed the fields, fed the hogs, milked the cows, I did it all … and then I was prepared all the way through.”
Scott’s time in Congress was also marked by his service as a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and as part of the board of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Scott leaves behind his wife Alfredia, two daughters and two grandchildren.
Georgia leaders react to U.S. Rep. David Scott’s death
Reactions from Georgia leaders came in swiftly following the news of Scott’s death on Wednesday.
“The State of Georgia is a better place thanks to the service of Congressman Scott,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in a statement. “May his memory be a blessing.”
“Congressman Scott has served our state for many years.” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp spoke about Scott at a press conference on Wednesday. “He was a champion for so many communities, especially our agriculture industry, and his impact will be felt for years, and our prayers are with him and his loved ones at this time.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called Scott “a tireless advocate for the people he served.”
“For decades, he fought for Georgia farmers, advocated for our veterans and ensured his constituents were supported at the street level with job and health fairs, serving tens of thousands of Georgians over the years,” Dickens said in a statement.
“His legacy is one of service, perseverance and deep commitment to this state. My thoughts are with his wife Alfredia Aaron, his children, extended family, his colleagues, and all who were impacted by his work,” he added.
