STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — A man who served the people of Georgia for than 24 years died in his sleep. U.S. Representative David Scott was 80.
State and national leaders, as well as those he represented, are remembering the Congressman who many described as “devoted.”
Channel 2’s Tom Regan went to Scott’s office on Wednesday, which was closed has his staff mourned his death.
On Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers paused for a moment of silence on the floor of the House of Representatives, and flags at The White House were flown at half-staff.
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Scott was born on his grandparents’ farm in South Carolina during the era of segregation and worked his way through the ranks of Georgia and national politics with honor and compassion for others.
“He was devoted to his district. He was devoted to his family. He was a really good man," Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young said.
Ambassador Young says Scott started his political career by helping him get elected to Congress in 1972, a favor which he was later able to repay.
“I campaigned for him in his first campaign, because he’s Hank Aaron’s brother-in-law. He’s married to Hank’s sister, and Hank and I both campaigned for him in his first campaign,” he said.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle praised Scott’s tenure in Congress and his ability to negotiate and get things done.
“For one thing, he was calm. I have never seen him angry. He got along with everybody. He was good southern gentleman,” Young said.
Those he spent his life representing felt the same way, so they continued electing him to another term.
“He was very good at his job, made a lot of changes,” Jonathan Reeves said.
Reeves owns a business below the late Congressman’s office. He says he would often run into him when bringing up misdelivered packages.
“He was talkative anytime we came up here. He would apologize for the package being misplaced. He was always nice,” Reeves said.
The exact cause of Scott’s death has not been released.
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