Bob Scott

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on January 23, 2009 - 9:07am.
Tags:

Office District Status
Governor Statewide Former
Party In Office Since Term Ends
Democrat 1969 1973
Level of Government  
Governor  
Date of Birth Birthplace Now Lives In
June 13, 1929 Haw River, NC Haw River, NC

Synopsis

Bob Scott was governor of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973. A folksy and plain-spoken member of North Carolina's most famous political family, he was instrumental in unifying the state's university system and helped push through the legislature the first tax on tobacco, then a political sacred cow. He later served as president of the state's community college system.

Trivia

In 1969, he hosted the first documented black-tie possum dinner at the Executive Mansion.

Endorsements

Biography

Marital Status
Married
Spouse
Jessie Rae
Children
Five children

Bob Scott was governor of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973.

Early Life and Education

Robert Walter "Bob" Scott was born June 13, 1929, in Haw River to Kerr Scott and Mary White Scott of Hawfields.

His father was the state's first commissioner of agriculture and governor from 1949 to 1953 and a U.S. senator rom 1953 to 1958.

His uncle, Ralph Scott, was a powerful state legislator from Alamance County from 1950 to 1980. His grandfather, "Farmer Bob" Scott served in the state senate and on the State Board of Agriculture.

Scott graduated from Alexander Wilson High School and attended both Duke University and N.C. State University.

He earned a bachelor's degree from N.C. State in 1952.

Family

Scott married Jessie Rae Osborne in September of 1951. They had five children.

His daughter, Meg Scott Phipps, was elected commissioner of agriculture in 2000. She resigned in 2003 amid a campaign finance scandal.

Military Service

From 1953 to 1955, he served as a special agent in the Counter-Intelligence Corps for the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Professional Career

After serving int he Army, Scott worked for the interests of rural electrification as chairman of the N.C. Consumers Committee for Low Cost Power.

Political Career

Scott was elected lieutenant governor in 1964.

In September of 1967, he pushed for North Carolina to provide school bus transportation for city students.

Governor 1969-1973

In May of 1968, Scott won the Democratic primary for governor by more than 48 percent.

In November, he was elected governor, defeating Republican Jim Gardner with 53 percent of the vote. 

In June of 1969, the General Assembly approved a bill sponsored by Governor Scott that put a state tax on cigarettes and soft drinks. It was the first tax on tobacco, then a political sacred cow in North Carolina.

In February of 1970, Scott publicly challenged President Richard Nixon to prove his stated opposition to involuntary school busing by ordering the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school desegregation case.

In a special session in 1971, Scott pushed for the restructuring of public higher education, unifying the University of North Carolina system. That same year, he also got the state's first comprehensive environmental protection legislation and began reorganizing state government.

From 1971 to 1972, Scott served as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee. In 1972, he chaired the North Carolina coordinating committee for Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern.

While in office, he appointed Sammie Chess Jr. as the first African-American Superior Court judge.

Scott left office in 1973, limited to one term by the state constitution, which has since been amended.

Later Career

After leaving office, Scott became executive vice president of the N.C. Agribusiness Council. He also consulted for the Alamance County Technical Institute and tended to his own herd of 400 Holsteins on a dairy farm at Haw River.

In September of 1976, Jimmy Carter asked Scott to stand in for him in campaigning for president in North Carolina. Scott served on the state's steering committee for Carter.

In January of 1977, Scott and his wife, Jessie Rae, were picked to head North Carolinians United for ERA, the failed amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In 1977, President Carter chose Scott to be a federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. He served until 1979.

In October of 1979, Scott announced he would oppose Gov. Jim Hunt in the coming Democratic gubernatorial primary. Hunt defeated Scott, winning close to 70 percent.

In 1982, Scott opened a consulting firm in Raleigh with Ben E. Roney.

In 1983, he was unanimously elected president of the state's 58-campus community college system. He served until 1994.

In 1987, he received the University Award for distinguished service to higher education from the UNC Board of Governors.

In January of 1993, he underwent heart bypass surgery at Duke. 

In 1995, Scott became a Distinguished Educator in Residence at N.C. State.

He died on Jan. 23, 2009, in Haw River.

Research and reporting by Rob Christensen.

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