ATLANTA — Family, friends and community members gathered to honor the life of U.S. Rep. David Scott at his funeral service. Scott died on April 22 at the age of 80. He represented Georgia’s 13th Congressional District since 2003.
Hundreds attended Scott’s homegoing service at 11 a.m. at Elizabeth Baptist Church on Cascade Road in Atlanta.
U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock delivered the eulogy.
Colleagues and mourners told Channel 2’s Karyn Greer that Scott’s legacy will live on through the communities he impacted.
“if you’ve participated in a job fair or health fair and gotten help on the spot, you should thank congressman David Scott because he has been there for people through generations,” U.S. Rep. Nakima Williams said.
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Scott represented Georgia’s 13th District for more than 20 years.
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Scott, a native of South Carolina, first got involved in Georgia politics when he joined Andrew Young’s congressional campaign in 1972.
By 1974, he decided to run for a position himself and was elected to the Georgia House, where he served as a representative from 1975 to 1982. Scott was then elected to the Georgia Senate, where he served from 1983 to 2002.
In 2002, Scott was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia’s 13th District, which now covers parts of Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, and Rockdale counties.
Throughout his time in Congress, Scott served as chair of the Agriculture Committee, was a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and was a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Scott qualified for re-election in March. His name will remain on the ballot; however, any votes for Scott will not be included in the final tally, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
A special election will be held July 28 to fill Scott’s seat in Congress.
His daughter Marcye Scott has announced she is running.
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