Jock Scott
Encyclopedia
John Wyeth "Jock" Scott, II (June 29, 1947 – April 25, 2009) was a lawyer
and college professor
in Alexandria
, who served three terms from District 26 in the Louisiana House of Representatives
, first as a Democrat
(1976–1985) and then as a Republican
(1985–1988). He was defeated in a race for the Louisiana State Senate
in 1987. He also lost two bids for the United States House of Representatives
: a 1985 special election, when he ran as a Democrat, and in the 2004 nonpartisan blanket primary for the Fifth Congressional District, when he challenged fellow Republican U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander
of Quitman
in Jackson Parish.
Scott was born in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in Central Louisiana
, to Nauman Steele Scott, II
, (1916–2001) and Blanche Hammond Scott (1920–1985). He graduated from Bolton High School
in Alexandria in 1965. One of his classmates was another future Louisiana state legislator, Charles W. DeWitt, Jr.
, from neighboring District 25. The two were House colleagues from 1980-1988. DeWitt, later Speaker
of the Louisiana House, said that Scott always worked for the betterment of the public, not for his personal financial gain.
In 1969, Scott received his bachelor of arts
degree from Tulane University
in New Orleans. He obtained his law
degree from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. He was in law school at the time that U.S. President Richard M. Nixon named Scott's Republican father to a new Alexandria-based U.S. District judgeship. Scott had been married since 1970 to the former Cynthia "Cyndy" Henderson (born 1948), a speech pathologist whom he had first met while she was a student at the since defunct St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans. Scott was the father of three grown children, Natalie Seeling and her husband, Michael, of Alexandria, John W. Scott, III, and his wife, Kristin, of Trinidad
, and Elizabeth Scott of San Francisco
, California
. He had two young grandsons too, John W. Scott, IV, and William Henderson Seeling.
, who gave up the position after a single term to contest a Louisiana Senate seat in the same election cycle. Scott defeated Lloyd George Teekell (March 12, 1922 -October 9, 1996), who had served in the state House from 1953–1960. Scott polled 3,908 votes (54.7 percent) to Teekell's 3,233 ballots (45.3 percent). Randolph, meanwhile, unseated four-term Democratic State Senator Cecil R. Blair
(1916–2001) of Lecompte
in south Rapides Parish.
Randolph, five years Scott's senior, is also a Bolton High school graduate and an attorney. Randolph and Scott quickly acquired reputations as "reformers" or "Young Turks" in the Louisiana legislature. They often disagreed with legislative leaders who wanted more spending than the state's receipts would permit. In 1976, Randolph and Scott headed the Greater Alexandria campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter
of Georgia
, who won majorities in Rapides Parish (54 percent) and statewide (53 percent) as well.
Though a Carter supporter, Scott broke with the presidential candidate over the proposed Equal Rights Amendment
. He cast a key vote in 1976 in the House Civil Law Committee against the ERA. He had been expected to vote to send ERA to the full House but reversed himself. His reason was concern that women would be subject to any future military conscription.
Thereafter Scott and Edwards clashed often over political and spending issues regarding capital outlay, state budgeting and appropriations, tax issues, and other fiscal matters. Scott began introducing his own capital outlay and appropriations bills, normally the exclusive domain of the governor and legislative floor leaders. Scott's purpose, he declared at the time, was to demonstrate that millions could be saved if merit prevailed over political considerations in the budget process.
Scott was reelected to his legislative seat as a Democrat. He polled 7,419 votes (76.9 percent) in the primary held on October 27, 1979. His intraparty opponent, former Alexandria Finance and Utilities Commissioner Arnold Jack Rosenthal
(1923–2010), received 2,229 votes (23.1 percent). Rosenthal had been an unsuccessful candidate for state senator in the 1971 Democratic primary and for mayor of Alexandria in the 1977 nonpartisan blanket primary. Though he had been a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention
in Los Angeles
, Rosenthal had endorsed President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
, in the 1976 election in which Scott was organizing voters for Carter.
Scott became chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee during his second term (1980–1984). He had helped his colleague John Hainkel
of New Orleans become Speaker
of the House. Hainkel had the support of incoming Republican Governor David C. Treen
. Scott served on Hainkel's House Executive Committee and would also direct the procedure for state House and congressional reapportionment. Meanwhile, in an uprising of fiscal conservatives, Scott won a surprise victory in 1980 over the Gillis Long
and Edwin Edwards forces in the Democratic State Central Committee by winning the post of national committeeman.
candidate, the Reverend Errol Dorsey, drew 1,780 votes (16.1 percent), and the attorney Christopher J. Roy, Sr., a law partner of the legendary Alexandrian Camille F. Gravel, Jr.
, and father of future Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy
and State Representative Chris Roy, Jr.
, polled 2,838 votes (25.6 percent).
In 1980, Judge Nauman Scott ordered cross-parish busing, school consolidations, some school closures, and the reassignment of principals to increase the level of desegregation
in Rapides Parish schools, contrary to the wishes of many citizens in the outlying Wards 10 and 11, including the area served by Buckeye High School. Years later, referring to his father's desegregation ruling, Scott said that his father's "primary concern was always the children of Rapides Parish or whatever school system he was working with... I know the people who hated him would not believe that. He tried to protect the people who had been discriminated against and to protect the schools." Scott also predicted that his father, had he lived, would have been satisfied with the 2006 decision by Judge Dee D. Drell
of Alexandria to end the desegregation lawsuit against the Rapides Parish School Board.
Despite the unpopularity of Judge Scott's orders among the more conservative
voters, Jock Scott, as a Democrat, won a third term in the legislature in 1983 even as Edwin Washington Edwards procured a comeback third term as governor by handily unseating Treen. Randolph, however, was defeated for a third term in the state senate. Three years later, Randolph resurrected his political career by winning the first of five consecutive terms as mayor of Alexandria, a position from which he retired on December 4, 2006.
In 1987, Scott was named "National Legislator of the Year" by the National Republican Legislators Association.
, Ohio
, and Clyde C. Holloway
, a conservative Republican who operated a tree nursery in Forest Hill
, south of Alexandria, who had strongly opposed Judge Scott's desegregation orders and was making his second bid for Congress. Mrs. Long won the position outright with 61,791 votes (55.7 percent) to Scott's 27,138 ballots (24.5 percent), and Holloway's 18,013 votes (16.3 percent). Cathy Long did not seek a full term in 1986. Scott, by then a Republican, was personally asked in the White House
by President Reagan to seek the office. For undisclosed reasons, Scott declined to run. Holloway then went on to take the seat for the first of three consecutive terms.
Scott's third term in the Louisiana House featured more battles over fiscal and tax policy against Governor Edwards. He had authored two successful tax reduction measures under the Treen administration, including inflation
indexing of state income tax
es, something Reagan had promoted at the national level, and a measure that reduced state income taxes by one-third across the board.
, John C. Ensminger
. In 1987, Scott ran for the District 29 state senate seat previously held by his colleague Randolph. It was Edward J. Steimel, president of the trade association
called the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
or LABI, who urged Scott to make the race. Scott, like Randolph four years earlier, was defeated by the Democrat William Joseph "Joe" McPherson, Jr.
, a businessman from Pineville
, later Woodworth
. McPherson, currently in his fifth nonconsecutive term in the Louisiana Senate, enjoyed the backing of Louisiana AFL-CIO
President Victor Bussie
. McPherson polled 16,950 (51 percent) in the primary and hence retained the seat outright. Scott trailed with 12,346 votes (37 percent). Former state senator Cecil Blair sought a comeback but netted only 4,245 votes (13 percent). Years later, Scott attributed his defeat to both McPherson's tough electioneering and the unpopularity of Judge Scott's desegregation orders in rural portions of Rapides Parish. Scott's state House seat also reverted to Democratic hands: Charles Herring, an Alexandria chiropractor
, held the seat for a single term. Since 1992, the District 26 has been held by an African American Democrat, Israel "Bo" Curtis and Herbert Dixon.
In Scott's own words in 2006: "I had decided to sit out the 1987 elections after my struggles with Edwards during those difficult legislative years... I needed a break. Then [Edward] Steimel [director of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
) talked me into the state senate race against McPherson. Very harsh race and very difficult for me in the country precincts with the unpopularity of desegregation/busing orders by my father... plus Joe is a very tough candidate. .. . I had become a Republican. So that was the end for me."
While McPherson has defeated both Randolph and Scott, the one Republican who has defeated McPherson is Holloway, who beat him in the 1990 congressional primary and again in the 2009 special election for the Louisiana Public Service Commission
. Until 2009, the 1990 congressional election has been Holloway's last victory.
music culture.
Judge Scott died a week after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York City
, Washington, D.C.
, and the Pennsylvania
countryside. Mrs. Blanche Scott preceded Judge Scott in death by sixteen years.
and Ph.D.
degrees from LSU in Baton Rouge in the field of history. He maintained a part-time law practice in Alexandria and was also an assistant professor of history at the newly four-year institution, Louisiana State University at Alexandria
, having since 1985 taught both U.S. and Louisiana history. He also taught part-time at Louisiana College
in Pineville, Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, and Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
. In 1986, he penned a political novel
titled To the Victor. He also wrote scholarly history articles.
In the spring of 2001, Scott served as chairman of "Friends of LSUA," which worked successfully to make the institution a four-year degree-granting university. Chancellor Robert Cavanaugh saluted Scott in the school's 2003 commencement exercises: "Jock worked many, many long hours and used his legislative experience to usher Senate Bill 853 [which created four-year status for LSUA] through the legislature.";
LSUA honored Scott in 2003 with its "Distinguished Service Award," the highest honor the university bestows on members of the Central Louisiana community. Scott was the eighth recipient of the honor, which recognizes his active participation in efforts to promote the advancement and support of the institution; recognition as a leader throughout the community, with an interest in the quality of education provided by LSUA; an exemplary record of service to higher education and to the community at large; and contributions of time, talents and/or financial resources to benefit the university.
of Monroe
. National Republican leaders at first agreed to support Scott.
Then, minutes before the filing deadline, and after he had already filed for reelection as a Democrat, Alexander switched parties. His action left the Democrats without a credible candidate in the race and undercut Scott's chances as well. Alexander in particular angered the state's two powerful Democratic U.S. senators, John Breaux
(who had announced his retirement) and Mary Landrieu
(reelected to a second and third terms in 2002 and 2008), because they had worked for Alexander in his race against Lee Fletcher. Many Louisiana Democrats called Alexander "cowardly" for his last-minute party switch.
Scott remained in the race as an unendorsed Republican, but GOP
leaders, including then Speaker
Dennis Hastert
of Illinois
, coalesced quickly behind Alexander. The National Republican Congressional Committee
demanded that Scott leave the race. Party leaders even denied him the right to speak at campaign events. He could not raise enough funds to counter Alexander's advantage of incumbency.
Scott said that the national leadership had "gone to elected officials who had endorsed me and gotten them to change their minds." Still, Scott said he was not unhappy with his party but could not appreciate the way they handled his race. "Sometimes even good organizations make faux pas. They're using their time, their talent, their money in a way that could be better used in a district where Republicans and Democrats are opposing each other... . I would assume that they have bigger fish to fry than little 'ol Jock Scott," he said.
Scott proposed that the north-south Interstate 49
, which links Shreveport with Lafayette
through Alexandria be completed, as originally planned, so that there would be a northeastern link as well from Monroe to Alexandria – now U.S. Highway 165. He vowed if elected to work for such highway funding.
Scott's hometown newspaper, the Alexandria Daily Town Talk
, which in the 1960s and 1970s, under then managing editor Adras LaBorde
(1912–1993) had pointedly refused to endorse candidates, editorially supported Scott's congressional bid. According to the Town Talk, Scott "offers relevant experience, deep knowledge of the issues and high energy. The Fifth Congressional District needs all of that. The district needs a representative who can leverage the significant economic development happening in and around Alexandria and Pineville while providing new thinking to help jump-start its lagging areas.
"Scott's ambitious proposal to build an interstate highway
from Alexandria to Monroe is new thinking, for sure. Although the proposal is not practical at this time, it is aimed directly at one of the district's biggest problems: highways. It also shows an appetite for innovation, and that can help a district that is hungry to grow.
"Likewise, his desire to add his voice to national issues is refreshing. He strongly supports President George W. Bush
's aggressive stance against terrorism
, but laments that the war in Iraq
has become so political. "Scott ... understands the complex challenges facing the district and the nation. That will serve him well as a member of Congress."
Not only did Scott obtain the newspaper's backing, but its former publisher Joe D. Smith, Jr.
, of Alexandria was a generous donor to Scott's campaign. Another who contributed to Scott was former Democratic State Senator B.G. Dyess
of Rapides Parish.
Republican Scott ran third in the race with 37,971 votes (16 percent). His only strong showing was in Rapides Parish, where he polled 14,379 votes, but even there
Alexander outpolled him with 23,958 ballots. Zelma "Tisa" Blakes, a black Democratic womanes, finished second in district balloting with 58,591 votes (25 percent). Alexander prevailed with 141,495 (59 percent). Alexander was presumably aided by his incumbency and the presence of the second President Bush, an easy winner in Louisiana, at the head of the Republican ticket.
, and he was state chairman of the United States Supreme Court Historical Society.
During Hurricane Katrina
, Scott volunteered his time to organize the acquisition and distribution of medical supplies in Alexandria and to restore St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Port Sulphur
. He also volunteered at Grace House, an outreach for the homeless at the Pentecostal Church in Alexandria. He hosted a weekly scriptural presentation on Radio Maria, a Catholic radio
station, which airs internationally. At the time of his death, he was preparing to become a deacon in Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Alexandria.
Former legislative colleague Woody Jenkins
of Baton Rouge recalled his friend as one who was "always ready to stand up for good government, frugal administration, lower taxes, the rule of law, and justice for all ... ever a guardian of the rights of people. He was fearless, ready to take on any governor or powerful group that threatened the best interests of the state. He made us all laugh ... and think."
John L. Bradas, a veteran figure in the Rapides Parish Republican Party and a former member of the parish police jury, hailed Scott as a "gentleman scholar ... a true civic and community leader ... an asset to the Republican Party [who] will be sadly missed."
State Republican Chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr.
, of Metairie
termed Scott "a pioneer of the conservative movement in Louisiana ... His efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and commitment to reducing taxes were an inspiration to conservatives across the state, and I'm proud to have served with him on the Republican State Central Committee." After having been his state's Democratic national committeeman in the early 1980s, Scott subsequently served on the state GOP Central Committee.
In addition to his political and law careers, Scott penned Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life, a 2008 biography
of his great-aunt, who was awarded France
’s highest combat medal and worked on the front lines of World War I
and World War II
through the Red Cross. In writing the book, an updating of his doctoral dissertation, Scott researched boxes of materials donated to the Tulane archives: "I was hooked from the first file. It's really a spiritual journey."
In addition to his wife, three children, and two grandsons, Scott was survived by his younger brother, Hammond Scott, and his wife, Wendy Cooper Scott, of New Orleans, and their daughter, Morgan Nina Petersen, and his sister, Ashley Scott Rankin, and her husband, B.M. "Mack" Rankin of Dallas
, Texas
. Services were held on April 30 (Louisiana Statehood Day) at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Alexandria, with Scott's cousin, the Reverend LaVerne "Pike" Thomas, officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville. Scott's parents are interred at Metairie Cemetery
in New Orleans.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and college professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, who served three terms from District 26 in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
, first as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
(1976–1985) and then as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(1985–1988). He was defeated in a race for the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
in 1987. He also lost two bids for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
: a 1985 special election, when he ran as a Democrat, and in the 2004 nonpartisan blanket primary for the Fifth Congressional District, when he challenged fellow Republican U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander
Rodney Alexander
Rodney McKinnie Alexander is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district covers twenty-two parishes in roughly the northeast quadrant of the state...
of Quitman
Quitman, Louisiana
Quitman is a village in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 168. Quitman is south of Ruston on U.S. Highway 167, and north of Jonesboro, the parish seat of Jackson Parish...
in Jackson Parish.
Scott was born in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana , also known as the Crossroads region, is the part of Louisiana that includes the following parishes: Allen Parish, Beauregard Parish, Catahoula Parish, Concordia Parish, Grant Parish, La Salle Parish, Natchitoches Parish, Rapides Parish, Sabine Parish and Vernon Parish.The five...
, to Nauman Steele Scott, II
Nauman Scott
Nauman Steele Scott, II , was a Republican-appointed federal judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana from 1970 until 2001, who ordered cross-parish busing guidelines in 1980 to foster racial balance in Rapides Parish public schools...
, (1916–2001) and Blanche Hammond Scott (1920–1985). He graduated from Bolton High School
Bolton High School (Louisiana)
Bolton High School is a secondary educational institution located in the Garden District of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. The school is named for its benefactor, James W...
in Alexandria in 1965. One of his classmates was another future Louisiana state legislator, Charles W. DeWitt, Jr.
Charles W. DeWitt, Jr.
Charles W. "Charlie" DeWitt, Jr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, having served from District 25 from 1980 to 2008. He was the Speaker of the House from 2000 to 2004 during the second term of Republican Governor Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr...
, from neighboring District 25. The two were House colleagues from 1980-1988. DeWitt, later Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Louisiana House, said that Scott always worked for the betterment of the public, not for his personal financial gain.
In 1969, Scott received his bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans. He obtained his law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
degree from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge. He was in law school at the time that U.S. President Richard M. Nixon named Scott's Republican father to a new Alexandria-based U.S. District judgeship. Scott had been married since 1970 to the former Cynthia "Cyndy" Henderson (born 1948), a speech pathologist whom he had first met while she was a student at the since defunct St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans. Scott was the father of three grown children, Natalie Seeling and her husband, Michael, of Alexandria, John W. Scott, III, and his wife, Kristin, of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, and Elizabeth Scott of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He had two young grandsons too, John W. Scott, IV, and William Henderson Seeling.
Legislative election
In 1975, in the first-ever Louisiana nonpartisan blanket primary, Scott was elected to the District 26 House seat, which primarily covers the city of Alexandria and some surrounding points. He succeeded fellow Democrat Edward Gordon "Ned" Randolph, Jr.Ned Randolph
Edward Gordon "Ned" Randolph, Jr. , is a veteran Democratic politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria in central Louisiana from 1986 to 2006. Randolph was also a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976 and the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1984...
, who gave up the position after a single term to contest a Louisiana Senate seat in the same election cycle. Scott defeated Lloyd George Teekell (March 12, 1922 -October 9, 1996), who had served in the state House from 1953–1960. Scott polled 3,908 votes (54.7 percent) to Teekell's 3,233 ballots (45.3 percent). Randolph, meanwhile, unseated four-term Democratic State Senator Cecil R. Blair
Cecil R. Blair
Cecil Ray Blair was a Rapides Parish farmer and businessman who was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1952 to 1956...
(1916–2001) of Lecompte
Lecompte, Louisiana
Lecompte is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,366 at the 2000 census....
in south Rapides Parish.
Randolph, five years Scott's senior, is also a Bolton High school graduate and an attorney. Randolph and Scott quickly acquired reputations as "reformers" or "Young Turks" in the Louisiana legislature. They often disagreed with legislative leaders who wanted more spending than the state's receipts would permit. In 1976, Randolph and Scott headed the Greater Alexandria campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, who won majorities in Rapides Parish (54 percent) and statewide (53 percent) as well.
Though a Carter supporter, Scott broke with the presidential candidate over the proposed Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time...
. He cast a key vote in 1976 in the House Civil Law Committee against the ERA. He had been expected to vote to send ERA to the full House but reversed himself. His reason was concern that women would be subject to any future military conscription.
A House reformer
Scott authored new House rules to require that new bills be printed and distributed to House members before referral to committees and to mandate the fiscal impact of such proposed legislation could consideration by the House. Scott authored legislation that was eventually enacted to require a priority system for funding capital outlay projects, a system that included the requirement that all such projects undergo needs assessment evaluations. This law challenged the governor's traditional control over the capital outlay budget, a system by which the governor could bargain for legislative votes by rewarding cooperative lawmakers with projects in their districts. The battle for reform included a 1978 victory by Scott and his colleagues when they succeeded in the House in defeating Edwards's capital outlay bill, the only time a Louisiana governor had faced such a challenge to his authority.Thereafter Scott and Edwards clashed often over political and spending issues regarding capital outlay, state budgeting and appropriations, tax issues, and other fiscal matters. Scott began introducing his own capital outlay and appropriations bills, normally the exclusive domain of the governor and legislative floor leaders. Scott's purpose, he declared at the time, was to demonstrate that millions could be saved if merit prevailed over political considerations in the budget process.
Scott was reelected to his legislative seat as a Democrat. He polled 7,419 votes (76.9 percent) in the primary held on October 27, 1979. His intraparty opponent, former Alexandria Finance and Utilities Commissioner Arnold Jack Rosenthal
Arnold Jack Rosenthal
Arnold Jack Rosenthal was an attorney and businessman from Alexandria, Louisiana, who from 1973 to 1977 was his city's last elected municipal commissioner of finance and utilities.-Family and educational background:...
(1923–2010), received 2,229 votes (23.1 percent). Rosenthal had been an unsuccessful candidate for state senator in the 1971 Democratic primary and for mayor of Alexandria in the 1977 nonpartisan blanket primary. Though he had been a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Rosenthal had endorsed President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, in the 1976 election in which Scott was organizing voters for Carter.
Scott became chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee during his second term (1980–1984). He had helped his colleague John Hainkel
John Hainkel
John Joseph Hainkel, Jr., was a gregarious, ruffled, and raspy-voiced legislator from New Orleans who died in office after thirty-seven years of service...
of New Orleans become Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House. Hainkel had the support of incoming Republican Governor David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
. Scott served on Hainkel's House Executive Committee and would also direct the procedure for state House and congressional reapportionment. Meanwhile, in an uprising of fiscal conservatives, Scott won a surprise victory in 1980 over the Gillis Long
Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana and member of the Long family. Long served seven non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives but placed third in two campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nominations in 1963 and 1971...
and Edwin Edwards forces in the Democratic State Central Committee by winning the post of national committeeman.
His last election victory
On October 23, 1983, Scott was elected to his last term in the legislature. Still a Democrat, he defeated two intraparty opponents in the nonpartisan blanket primary. Scott polled 6,458 of the 11,076 votes cast in the race, or 58.3 percent. An African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
candidate, the Reverend Errol Dorsey, drew 1,780 votes (16.1 percent), and the attorney Christopher J. Roy, Sr., a law partner of the legendary Alexandrian Camille F. Gravel, Jr.
Camille Gravel
Camille Francis Gravel, Jr. , was a Louisiana, Democratic politician.Gravel spent much time and money supporting the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII honored Gravel with the "Order of St. Gregory" for his outstanding service to the church.-Education:Gravel graduated in 1935 from the University...
, and father of future Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy
Jacques Roy
Jacques Maurice Roy is the twenty-third mayor of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana.Roy, a Democrat, is the son of Christopher Roy, Sr., an ad hoc judge of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal...
and State Representative Chris Roy, Jr.
Chris Roy, Jr.
Christopher Jude Roy, Jr. , is an attorney in Alexandria, Louisiana, who is a departing one-term Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 25 in Rapides and Vernon parishes...
, polled 2,838 votes (25.6 percent).
In 1980, Judge Nauman Scott ordered cross-parish busing, school consolidations, some school closures, and the reassignment of principals to increase the level of desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
in Rapides Parish schools, contrary to the wishes of many citizens in the outlying Wards 10 and 11, including the area served by Buckeye High School. Years later, referring to his father's desegregation ruling, Scott said that his father's "primary concern was always the children of Rapides Parish or whatever school system he was working with... I know the people who hated him would not believe that. He tried to protect the people who had been discriminated against and to protect the schools." Scott also predicted that his father, had he lived, would have been satisfied with the 2006 decision by Judge Dee D. Drell
Dee D. Drell
Dee Dodson Drell is a United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. He was nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush on January 15, 2003, confirmed by the U.S...
of Alexandria to end the desegregation lawsuit against the Rapides Parish School Board.
Despite the unpopularity of Judge Scott's orders among the more conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
voters, Jock Scott, as a Democrat, won a third term in the legislature in 1983 even as Edwin Washington Edwards procured a comeback third term as governor by handily unseating Treen. Randolph, however, was defeated for a third term in the state senate. Three years later, Randolph resurrected his political career by winning the first of five consecutive terms as mayor of Alexandria, a position from which he retired on December 4, 2006.
In 1987, Scott was named "National Legislator of the Year" by the National Republican Legislators Association.
First congressional defeat
Early in 1985, while he was still a Democrat, Jock Scott ran in the special election to choose a successor to Congressman Gillis Long (1923–1985), who died at the time of President Ronald W. Reagan's second inauguration. Scott faced Long's widow, the former Catherine Small, a native of DaytonDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and Clyde C. Holloway
Clyde C. Holloway
Clyde Cecil Holloway is an American small business owner from Forest Hill in the southern part of Rapides Parish who is one of five members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He also served as a conservative Republican member of the U.S...
, a conservative Republican who operated a tree nursery in Forest Hill
Forest Hill, Louisiana
Forest Hill is a village in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Forest Hill is located at ....
, south of Alexandria, who had strongly opposed Judge Scott's desegregation orders and was making his second bid for Congress. Mrs. Long won the position outright with 61,791 votes (55.7 percent) to Scott's 27,138 ballots (24.5 percent), and Holloway's 18,013 votes (16.3 percent). Cathy Long did not seek a full term in 1986. Scott, by then a Republican, was personally asked in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
by President Reagan to seek the office. For undisclosed reasons, Scott declined to run. Holloway then went on to take the seat for the first of three consecutive terms.
Scott's third term in the Louisiana House featured more battles over fiscal and tax policy against Governor Edwards. He had authored two successful tax reduction measures under the Treen administration, including inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
indexing of state income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es, something Reagan had promoted at the national level, and a measure that reduced state income taxes by one-third across the board.
A state senate bid
The "reformer" Scott became a Republican in the latter half of 1985. So did a colleague from MonroeMonroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, John C. Ensminger
John C. Ensminger
John Clifford Ensminger, Sr. , is a State Farm Insurance agent in Monroe, Louisiana, who served for two decades in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. Ensminger was elected in 1972 as a conservative Democrat to the Louisiana House of Representatives from Ouachita Parish, now District...
. In 1987, Scott ran for the District 29 state senate seat previously held by his colleague Randolph. It was Edward J. Steimel, president of the trade association
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
called the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
or LABI, who urged Scott to make the race. Scott, like Randolph four years earlier, was defeated by the Democrat William Joseph "Joe" McPherson, Jr.
Joe McPherson
William Joseph "Joe" McPherson, Jr., is a retiring veteran Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from Woodworth, a small community south of Alexandria, Louisiana, the seat of government of Rapides Parish and the largest city in the Central Louisiana region...
, a businessman from Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
, later Woodworth
Woodworth, Louisiana
Woodworth is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,080 at the 2000 census....
. McPherson, currently in his fifth nonconsecutive term in the Louisiana Senate, enjoyed the backing of Louisiana AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
President Victor Bussie
Victor Bussie
Victor V. Bussie was until his retirement in 1997 the 41-year unopposed president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, having first assumed the mantle of union leadership in 1956. Journalists often described him as the most significant non-elected "official" in his state's politics...
. McPherson polled 16,950 (51 percent) in the primary and hence retained the seat outright. Scott trailed with 12,346 votes (37 percent). Former state senator Cecil Blair sought a comeback but netted only 4,245 votes (13 percent). Years later, Scott attributed his defeat to both McPherson's tough electioneering and the unpopularity of Judge Scott's desegregation orders in rural portions of Rapides Parish. Scott's state House seat also reverted to Democratic hands: Charles Herring, an Alexandria chiropractor
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
, held the seat for a single term. Since 1992, the District 26 has been held by an African American Democrat, Israel "Bo" Curtis and Herbert Dixon.
In Scott's own words in 2006: "I had decided to sit out the 1987 elections after my struggles with Edwards during those difficult legislative years... I needed a break. Then [Edward] Steimel [director of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
) talked me into the state senate race against McPherson. Very harsh race and very difficult for me in the country precincts with the unpopularity of desegregation/busing orders by my father... plus Joe is a very tough candidate. .. . I had become a Republican. So that was the end for me."
While McPherson has defeated both Randolph and Scott, the one Republican who has defeated McPherson is Holloway, who beat him in the 1990 congressional primary and again in the 2009 special election for the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
. Until 2009, the 1990 congressional election has been Holloway's last victory.
Family tragedy
Scott's older brother, Nauman Steele Scott, III, (born 1945) died on January 8, 2002, four months after the death of their father, Judge Scott. Nauman, III, was a lawyer in New Orleans and co-owner with the third Scott brother, Arthur Hammond Scott (born 1950), of the former Black Top Records, which preserved much of the rhythm and bluesRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music culture.
Judge Scott died a week after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
countryside. Mrs. Blanche Scott preceded Judge Scott in death by sixteen years.
Making LSU-Alexandria a four-year institution
After his legislative service ended, Scott, who has great interest in United States and Louisiana history, obtained both his Master of ArtsMaster of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degrees from LSU in Baton Rouge in the field of history. He maintained a part-time law practice in Alexandria and was also an assistant professor of history at the newly four-year institution, Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Louisiana State University at Alexandria is located in Alexandria, Louisiana. Louisiana State University at Alexandria is a publicly supported institution that provides undergraduatelevel college education to the citizens of Central Louisiana. The university is a unit of the LSU System and operates...
, having since 1985 taught both U.S. and Louisiana history. He also taught part-time at Louisiana College
Louisiana College
Louisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, Louisiana, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving a student body of approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms...
in Pineville, Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, and Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches
Natchitoches may refer to:*Natchitoches , an American Indian people*Natchitoches, Louisiana, a city*Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana...
. In 1986, he penned a political novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
titled To the Victor. He also wrote scholarly history articles.
In the spring of 2001, Scott served as chairman of "Friends of LSUA," which worked successfully to make the institution a four-year degree-granting university. Chancellor Robert Cavanaugh saluted Scott in the school's 2003 commencement exercises: "Jock worked many, many long hours and used his legislative experience to usher Senate Bill 853 [which created four-year status for LSUA] through the legislature.";
LSUA honored Scott in 2003 with its "Distinguished Service Award," the highest honor the university bestows on members of the Central Louisiana community. Scott was the eighth recipient of the honor, which recognizes his active participation in efforts to promote the advancement and support of the institution; recognition as a leader throughout the community, with an interest in the quality of education provided by LSUA; an exemplary record of service to higher education and to the community at large; and contributions of time, talents and/or financial resources to benefit the university.
Losing to Rodney Alexander, 2004
In 2004, seventeen years after his last campaign, Scott announced that he would launch a Republican challenge to incumbent Democratic Congressman Rodney Alexander. Alexander had been a narrow winner – 974 votes out of 172,462 votes cast – in 2002 over the young businessman Dewey Lee FletcherLee Fletcher
Dewey Lee Fletcher, Jr. , was an American political consultant and a talk radio host and blogger in Monroe, who was defeated by 974 votes in a 2002 race for the United States House of Representatives from the Fifth Congressional District in northeast Louisiana...
of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
. National Republican leaders at first agreed to support Scott.
Then, minutes before the filing deadline, and after he had already filed for reelection as a Democrat, Alexander switched parties. His action left the Democrats without a credible candidate in the race and undercut Scott's chances as well. Alexander in particular angered the state's two powerful Democratic U.S. senators, John Breaux
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
(who had announced his retirement) and Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
(reelected to a second and third terms in 2002 and 2008), because they had worked for Alexander in his race against Lee Fletcher. Many Louisiana Democrats called Alexander "cowardly" for his last-minute party switch.
Scott remained in the race as an unendorsed Republican, but GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
leaders, including then Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Dennis Hastert
Dennis Hastert
John Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the 59th Speaker of the House serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented as a Republican for twenty years, 1987 to 2007.He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, coalesced quickly behind Alexander. The National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
demanded that Scott leave the race. Party leaders even denied him the right to speak at campaign events. He could not raise enough funds to counter Alexander's advantage of incumbency.
Scott said that the national leadership had "gone to elected officials who had endorsed me and gotten them to change their minds." Still, Scott said he was not unhappy with his party but could not appreciate the way they handled his race. "Sometimes even good organizations make faux pas. They're using their time, their talent, their money in a way that could be better used in a district where Republicans and Democrats are opposing each other... . I would assume that they have bigger fish to fry than little 'ol Jock Scott," he said.
Scott proposed that the north-south Interstate 49
Interstate 49
Interstate 49 is currently an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Interstate 10 while its northern terminus is in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Interstate 20.-Route...
, which links Shreveport with Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
through Alexandria be completed, as originally planned, so that there would be a northeastern link as well from Monroe to Alexandria – now U.S. Highway 165. He vowed if elected to work for such highway funding.
Scott's hometown newspaper, the Alexandria Daily Town Talk
The Town Talk (Alexandria)
The Town Talk, started as The Daily Town Talk in 1883 and later named the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the economic center of Central Louisiana.The daily newspaper has a circulation...
, which in the 1960s and 1970s, under then managing editor Adras LaBorde
Adras LaBorde
Adras Paul LaBorde, I , was a reporter, managing editor, and columnist for the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, the largest newspaper in central Louisiana. His career stretched from the mid-1940s into the early 1990s...
(1912–1993) had pointedly refused to endorse candidates, editorially supported Scott's congressional bid. According to the Town Talk, Scott "offers relevant experience, deep knowledge of the issues and high energy. The Fifth Congressional District needs all of that. The district needs a representative who can leverage the significant economic development happening in and around Alexandria and Pineville while providing new thinking to help jump-start its lagging areas.
"Scott's ambitious proposal to build an interstate highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
from Alexandria to Monroe is new thinking, for sure. Although the proposal is not practical at this time, it is aimed directly at one of the district's biggest problems: highways. It also shows an appetite for innovation, and that can help a district that is hungry to grow.
"Likewise, his desire to add his voice to national issues is refreshing. He strongly supports President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's aggressive stance against terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, but laments that the war in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
has become so political. "Scott ... understands the complex challenges facing the district and the nation. That will serve him well as a member of Congress."
Not only did Scott obtain the newspaper's backing, but its former publisher Joe D. Smith, Jr.
Joe D. Smith, Jr.
Joe Dorsey Smith, Jr. , was the former general manager, president, publisher, and chairman of the board of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk in Alexandria, the largest newspaper in central Louisiana. Smith became publisher in 1962...
, of Alexandria was a generous donor to Scott's campaign. Another who contributed to Scott was former Democratic State Senator B.G. Dyess
B.G. Dyess
Bernice G. Dyess, known as B. G. Dyess , is a semi-retired Baptist minister from Alexandria, Louisiana, who served as a conservative Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1996 to 2000, in which capacity he was known for his opposition to gambling...
of Rapides Parish.
Republican Scott ran third in the race with 37,971 votes (16 percent). His only strong showing was in Rapides Parish, where he polled 14,379 votes, but even there
Alexander outpolled him with 23,958 ballots. Zelma "Tisa" Blakes, a black Democratic womanes, finished second in district balloting with 58,591 votes (25 percent). Alexander prevailed with 141,495 (59 percent). Alexander was presumably aided by his incumbency and the presence of the second President Bush, an easy winner in Louisiana, at the head of the Republican ticket.
Affiliations and charitable work
Scott was a member of the Louisiana and American bar associations, having served as treasurer, vice-president, and then president of the Louisiana Bar Foundation. He was also affiliated with the American, Southern, and Louisiana historical associations, the Rapides Arts and Humanities Council, and the Alexandria Rotary Club. He was a former vice-president of the Central Louisiana Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, and he was state chairman of the United States Supreme Court Historical Society.
During Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, Scott volunteered his time to organize the acquisition and distribution of medical supplies in Alexandria and to restore St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Port Sulphur
Port Sulphur, Louisiana
Port Sulphur is a census-designated place on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,115 at the 2000 census....
. He also volunteered at Grace House, an outreach for the homeless at the Pentecostal Church in Alexandria. He hosted a weekly scriptural presentation on Radio Maria, a Catholic radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station, which airs internationally. At the time of his death, he was preparing to become a deacon in Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Alexandria.
Death and legacy
Scott collapsed on April 25, 2009, while he was working in his yard at his residence on Jackson Street in Alexandria, according to his secretary, Debbie Harper.Former legislative colleague Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
of Baton Rouge recalled his friend as one who was "always ready to stand up for good government, frugal administration, lower taxes, the rule of law, and justice for all ... ever a guardian of the rights of people. He was fearless, ready to take on any governor or powerful group that threatened the best interests of the state. He made us all laugh ... and think."
John L. Bradas, a veteran figure in the Rapides Parish Republican Party and a former member of the parish police jury, hailed Scott as a "gentleman scholar ... a true civic and community leader ... an asset to the Republican Party [who] will be sadly missed."
State Republican Chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Roger Francis Villere, Jr. is a businessman from Metairie in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans who on March 26, 2004, was elected state chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party by the 144-member GOP State Central Committee. He succeeded Pat Brister of St...
, of Metairie
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
termed Scott "a pioneer of the conservative movement in Louisiana ... His efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and commitment to reducing taxes were an inspiration to conservatives across the state, and I'm proud to have served with him on the Republican State Central Committee." After having been his state's Democratic national committeeman in the early 1980s, Scott subsequently served on the state GOP Central Committee.
In addition to his political and law careers, Scott penned Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life, a 2008 biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of his great-aunt, who was awarded France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
’s highest combat medal and worked on the front lines of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
through the Red Cross. In writing the book, an updating of his doctoral dissertation, Scott researched boxes of materials donated to the Tulane archives: "I was hooked from the first file. It's really a spiritual journey."
In addition to his wife, three children, and two grandsons, Scott was survived by his younger brother, Hammond Scott, and his wife, Wendy Cooper Scott, of New Orleans, and their daughter, Morgan Nina Petersen, and his sister, Ashley Scott Rankin, and her husband, B.M. "Mack" Rankin of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Services were held on April 30 (Louisiana Statehood Day) at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Alexandria, with Scott's cousin, the Reverend LaVerne "Pike" Thomas, officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville. Scott's parents are interred at Metairie Cemetery
Metairie Cemetery
Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road .-History:This site was previously a horse...
in New Orleans.