U.S. Rep. David Scott, who represented a Congressional district covering parts of several metro Atlanta counties since 2003, has died, a family member confirmed Wednesday. He was 80 years old.
Scott had represented Georgia’s 13th Congressional District for more than two decades.
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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 1975-1982.
“As State Representative, he authored laws to provide for gun safety, including creating background checks for gun purchases. He also made it a felony to knowingly sell or provide a firearm to a child or minor and held parents and guardians responsible for keeping their firearms away from children,” his congressional website said.
Scott also helped create PeachCare, the health insurance program for children.
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In 1982, Scott was elected to the Georgia Senate, where he served from 1983-2002.
“In the Senate, he successfully passed several major laws including a moment of silence for reflection or prayer in Georgia’s public schools. He wrote the Georgia law that gives women with breast cancer surgery the right to determine their length of stay in the hospital and level of medical care in consultation with their physician, rather than having insurance companies make such critical health decisions. He authored the law to limit and restrict landfills in residential neighborhoods, cleaning rivers and streams, and protecting underground water aquifers. He also passed the state law to provide sex education and AIDS prevention instruction in Georgia public schools,” his website said.
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 is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where he graduated with honors in 1967. After graduation, he was awarded scholarships to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, and he earned his MBA degree with honors in 1969.
Scott leaves behind his wife, Alfredia, and his two daughters, Dayna and Marcy.
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