Jock Scott - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

Scott collapsed on April 25, 2009, while he was working in his yard at his residence on Jackson Street in Alexandria, according to his secretary, Debbie Harper.

Former legislative colleague Woody Jenkins of Baton Rouge recalled his friend as one who was "always ready to stand up for good government, frugal administration, lower taxes, the rule of law, and justice for all ... ever a guardian of the rights of people. He was fearless, ready to take on any governor or powerful group that threatened the best interests of the state. He made us all laugh ... and think."

John L. Bradas, a veteran figure in the Rapides Parish Republican Party and a former member of the parish police jury, hailed Scott as a "gentleman scholar ... a true civic and community leader ... an asset to the Republican Party will be sadly missed."

State Republican Chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr., of Metairie termed Scott "a pioneer of the conservative movement in Louisiana ... His efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and commitment to reducing taxes were an inspiration to conservatives across the state, and I'm proud to have served with him on the Republican State Central Committee." After having been his state's Democratic national committeeman in the early 1980s, Scott subsequently served on the state GOP Central Committee.

In addition to his political and law careers, Scott penned Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life, a 2008 biography of his great-aunt, who was awarded France’s highest combat medal and worked on the front lines of World War I and World War II through the Red Cross. In writing the book, an updating of his doctoral dissertation, Scott researched boxes of materials donated to the Tulane archives: "I was hooked from the first file. It's really a spiritual journey."

In addition to his wife, three children, and two grandsons, Scott was survived by his younger brother, Hammond Scott, and his wife, Wendy Cooper Scott, of New Orleans, and their daughter, Morgan Nina Petersen, and his sister, Ashley Scott Rankin, and her husband, B.M. "Mack" Rankin of Dallas, Texas. Services were held on April 30 (Louisiana Statehood Day) at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Alexandria, with Scott's cousin, the Reverend LaVerne "Pike" Thomas, officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville. Scott's parents are interred at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.