William L. Scott
William L. Scott | |
---|---|
William B. Spong Jr. | |
Succeeded by | John Warner |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th district | |
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973 | |
Preceded by | Howard W. Smith |
Succeeded by | Stanford Parris |
Personal details | |
Born | William Lloyd Scott July 1, 1915 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | February 14, 1997 Fairfax Station, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 81)
Resting place | Fairfax Memorial Park |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Ruth Inez Huffman (m. 1940) |
Children | 3[2] |
Alma mater | National University School of Law (LLB, LLM) |
Profession | Attorney |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1945 |
Rank | Private |
Battles/wars | World War II |
William Lloyd Scott (July 1, 1915 – February 14, 1997) was an American Republican politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He served in both the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate.
A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Scott graduated from high school in St. Albans, West Virginia and began a career with the United States Government Publishing Office. After completing LL.B. and LL.M. degrees at National University School of Law (now George Washington University Law School) in 1938 and 1939, he was admitted to the bar and worked as an attorney for the United States Department of Justice. In early 1945, he enlisted in the United States Army for World War II, and he served until the end of the war, receiving his discharge later that year.
In 1963 and 1965, Scott was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the
After leaving the Senate, Scott retired to Fairfax Station, Virginia. He died in Fairfax, Virginia on February 14, 1997, and was buried at Fairfax Memorial Park in Fairfax.
Early life
William L. Scott was born in
Scott served in the United States Army during World War II, enlisting as a private in April 1945, and receiving his discharge later the same year as a result of the end of the war.[8] He was later active in the American Legion.[9]
He engaged in the private practice of law in
United States House
Scott won the
During his U.S. House service, Scott was appointed to the
United States Senate
In
Scott served one term, January 3, 1973 to January 1, 1979.[18] He did not run for re-election in 1978, and resigned on January 1, 1979, two days before the end of his term.[18] Scott's resignation enabled the Governor of Virginia to appoint the winner of the 1978 Senate election, John Warner, to fill the vacancy, giving Warner one day of seniority over other senators who were elected in 1978.[19] During his Congressional service, Scott was criticized for excessive expenses incurred during his fact-finding trips abroad.[20]
Racism and antisemitism
When criticizing the implementation of the Post Office's
In addition, his name appeared in an exposé of Congressional staff hiring practices as one of the members who had given "No Blacks" and other similar instructions to the Capitol Hill Placement Bureau.[22] Scott was also alleged to have displayed antisemitism while in Congress.[23] One news report indicated that during a job interview, Scott was told that the applicant was Jewish, and replied "Oh, I've got too many of them here now to hire you."[23]
"Dumbest Member of Congress"
A 1974 article in
Scott's critics cited many examples to support this claim. While being briefed about the military capabilities of the
In 2000 and afterwards, journalist Harry Stein, who had provided much of the background information to Totenberg based on an earlier Stein article for another publication called The Private Faces of Bill Scott, said the articles had been a "vicious hatchet job", and agreed with Scott's assessment at the time that the articles were written by "some left-wing kids from Richmond with an agenda." Stein went on to say that while Scott was a tempting target—roundly disliked by his colleagues and his staff, and widely regarded as incompetent—Stein and his colleagues had done Scott "a disservice" for which Stein expressed regret.[29][30]
Retirement and death
In retirement Scott resided in Fairfax Station, Virginia. In his later years he suffered from Alzheimer's disease and resided in a Fairfax nursing center.[31] Scott died in Fairfax on February 14, 1997, and was interred at Fairfax Memorial Park in Fairfax.[31]
References
- ^ The National Rural Letter Carrier. Vol. 66. Alexandria, VA: National Rural Letter Carrier Association. 1967. p. 89.
- ^ The National Rural Letter Carriers
- ^ The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Vol. 3. New Providence, NJ: Martindale, LLC. 1963. p. 6202.
- ^ a b "St. Albans Woman's Brother: Virginia Republican Wins; Democrat Happy". Charleston Daily Mail. November 9, 1966. p. 10.
- ^ a b Virginia State Senate Joint Resolution No. 405, On the Death of Senator William L. Scott, February 20, 1997
- ^ a b "Biographies of Members of Congress: William L. Scott". Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. 24. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Incorporated: 2949. 1967. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ "Biography: William L. Scott". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 89. Richmond: Virginia Historical Society. 1981. p. 200.
- ^ William L. Scott at U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, National Archives and Records Administration
- ^ Biography, William L. Scott. Guide to the William Lloyd Scott papers, 1967-1979. George Mason University Libraries.
- ^ "Republicans Pick Scott as Nominee for Seat Now Held by Howard Smith". Danville Register. Danville, VA. Associated Press. June 5, 1966. p. 3.
- ^ "Amith Labeled 'Great Man' by Colleague". Danville Register. Danville, VA. Associated Press. July 14, 1966. p. 1.
- ^ "State Republicans Hike House Seats to Four". Danville Register. Danville, VA. Associated Press. November 9, 1966. p. 1.
- ^ "Congressional Biography, William Lloyd Scott". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. U.S. Senate Historical Office. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Scott Defeats Spong as State Backs Nixon". Associated Press. November 8, 1972. p. 1.
- ^ a b "SCOTT, William Lloyd - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ John William Warner at Congressional Biographical Directory
- ^ Tierney, John (27 November 1978). "Senate Losing One of a Kind". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ISBN 9780517462973.
- ^ "Politics: Exposé; "No Blacks" Wanted by Congressmen". Jet. Chicago: Johnson Publishing Co. September 12, 1974. p. 23.
- ^ a b Hirschorn, Michael (February 1, 1989). "Popsicles and Nutty Buddies". Spy. New York: Spy Publishing Partners: 87.
- ^ Totenberg, Nina (1974). "The Ten Dumbest Members of Congress". New Times. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-59921-235-7.
- ^ "Senator denies Faux Pas on Mideast Trip". Miami News. Associated Press. October 1, 1975. p. 2A.
- ^ "Nina Totenberg", Current Biography Yearbook, 1996, pages 575–579.
- ^ "The 'Dumbest Senator' Has a Smart Answer". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 1974. p. I-2.
- City Journal. Vol. 18, no. 2. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-60949-839-9.
- ^ a b "William Scott, 81, Congressman Symbolizing G.O.P. Rise in South". The New York Times. 1997-02-17. Retrieved 27 September 2020.