Josiah Scott
Encyclopedia
Josiah Scott was a Republican politician in the U.S. State
of Ohio
who was in the Ohio House of Representatives
, and was an Ohio Supreme Court Judge 1856-1872.
Josiah Scott was born at Washington County, Pennsylvania
, not far from Cannonsburg
, where he graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College
) in 1821. He taught school, and studied law. In 1830 he moved to Bucyrus
, Crawford County, Ohio
, where he practiced law.
In 1840, Scott was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives for the 39th General Assembly as a Whig
. Presidential elector in 1844 for Clay
/Frelinghuysen
.
In 1856, Scott was nominated by the Republican Party for Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court, and he defeated incumbent Democrat Rufus P. Ranney
and a third party candidate with a plurality of the votes in the General Election. Ranney resigned the seat soon after the election, and Scott was seated late in 1856. He was re-elected in 1861, and again in 1866, but declined re-nomination in 1871.
In 1872, Scott returned to Crawford County, and private practice. In 1876, Governor Hayes
appointed him to the Supreme Court Commission, and he resigned at the end of a three year term in 1879.
Scott married Elizabeth McCracken on February 8, 1838. They had five children before she died in 1844. Scott married again May 4, 1846 to Susan Elizabeth Moffit, who had no children and died in 1891. He died June 15, 1879 from kidney disease and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Bucyrus.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
who was in the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, and was an Ohio Supreme Court Judge 1856-1872.
Josiah Scott was born at Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
, not far from Cannonsburg
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....
, where he graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
) in 1821. He taught school, and studied law. In 1830 he moved to Bucyrus
Bucyrus, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,224 people, 5,559 households, and 3,552 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,812.0 people per square mile . There were 5,955 housing units at an average density of 816.0 per square mile...
, Crawford County, Ohio
Crawford County, Ohio
Crawford County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It was named for Colonel William Crawford, a soldier during the American Revolution....
, where he practiced law.
In 1840, Scott was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives for the 39th General Assembly as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
. Presidential elector in 1844 for Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
/Frelinghuysen
Theodore Frelinghuysen
Theodore Frelinghuysen was an American politician, serving as New Jersey Attorney General, United States Senator, and Mayor of Newark, New Jersey before running as a candidate for Vice President with Henry Clay on the Whig ticket in the election of 1844...
.
In 1856, Scott was nominated by the Republican Party for Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court, and he defeated incumbent Democrat Rufus P. Ranney
Rufus P. Ranney
Rufus Putnam Ranney was a Democratic politician in the U.S. State of Ohio who helped write the second Ohio Constitution, and was a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court 1851–1856 and 1863–1865....
and a third party candidate with a plurality of the votes in the General Election. Ranney resigned the seat soon after the election, and Scott was seated late in 1856. He was re-elected in 1861, and again in 1866, but declined re-nomination in 1871.
In 1872, Scott returned to Crawford County, and private practice. In 1876, Governor Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
appointed him to the Supreme Court Commission, and he resigned at the end of a three year term in 1879.
Scott married Elizabeth McCracken on February 8, 1838. They had five children before she died in 1844. Scott married again May 4, 1846 to Susan Elizabeth Moffit, who had no children and died in 1891. He died June 15, 1879 from kidney disease and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Bucyrus.