Georgia Congressman David Scott, a Democrat who served more than two decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, died Wednesday at the age of 80. His staff called the death “unexpected” and said more details would be shared in the coming days. No cause of death has been released.
What makes the timing even more striking is that Scott cast his final vote in Congress just one day before his death was announced. He had been a fixture in Georgia politics for over half a century, first winning a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974 and serving in elected office continuously until the day he died. That’s 51 years straight.
From a South Carolina Farm to the Halls of Congress
David Scott was born on June 27, 1945, in Aynor, South Carolina, a tiny rural town most people have never heard of. He grew up on his grandparents’ farm during the era of segregation. His parents were domestic workers, and according to former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the family they worked for helped Scott get into the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Clyburn recalled that Scott “never forgot that.”
Before Wharton, Scott attended Florida A&M University, one of the country’s most well-known HBCUs. After earning his MBA, he didn’t go straight into politics. He founded Dayn-Mark Advertising, a firm that worked with corporate clients in media and production. So this was a guy who wore a lot of hats before he ever ran for office.
A Political Career That Spanned Five Decades
Scott’s path into politics started in the early 1970s. He worked on Andrew Young’s congressional campaign in 1972 and also served as a consultant to then-Governor Jimmy Carter on revenue policy. Scott later credited Carter for having “a tremendous impact” on his life and political career. By 1974, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.
He moved to the Georgia Senate in 1982, where he chaired the powerful Senate Rules Committee. Then in 2002, he won his first race for the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s 13th Congressional District. That district covers portions of six metro Atlanta counties: Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett.
State Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat who worked with Scott during his time chairing the Senate Rules Committee, remembered his tenacity above all else. She said his lesson in public service was simple: “Persevere. He would stay like a dog with a bone on his issue, and every time he saw you, he would be talking about it, he would be working on it.”
Making History With the Agriculture Committee
In 2020, when Democrats controlled the House, Scott became the first African American chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. It was a role he said he was destined to hold, and he had a deeply personal connection to the work.
In a 2021 interview with NPR, Scott put it plainly: “No people paid the dues to agriculture and farming than our African American people. I cropped the tobacco, picked the cotton, plowed the fields, fed the hogs, milked the cows, I did it all… and then I was prepared all the way through.”
As chairman, Scott had enormous influence over billions of dollars in farm subsidies, food stamps, and school lunches. He used that position to fight for causes close to his heart, particularly securing resources for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In the 2018 Farm Bill, he secured $80 million in funding specifically for the 19 Historically Black 1890s Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. The United Negro College Fund noted that his position on the Agriculture Committee allowed him to have an “outsized impact” on 1890 institutions, all HBCUs, and their students.
The Family Connection to Hank Aaron
Here’s a detail that catches a lot of people off guard. In 1969, David Scott married Alfredia Aaron, the sister of Atlanta Braves baseball legend Hank Aaron. That made the home run king his brother-in-law. And the family’s athletic genes didn’t stop there. Scott’s grandson is Kimani Vidal, an NFL running back.
Scott is survived by his wife Alfredia and the couple’s two daughters.
He Refused to Step Aside
Scott’s later years in Congress weren’t without controversy. In recent years, he faced growing questions about whether he should retire. A 2022 Politico report noted that people close to Scott felt he had slowed noticeably. Two years later, he lashed out at a photographer who took a photo of him being pushed in a wheelchair.
During his 2024 re-election campaign, some Democrats openly called on him to step aside for younger candidates. One unnamed Democratic lawmaker told Politico at the time: “David Scott is Exhibit A for term limits. He was a respected, talented member who has become diminished. And it’s painful for people to watch.”
Scott didn’t listen. He won re-election in 2024 and was running yet again in 2026, facing a competitive primary for a 13th term scheduled for May 19. Despite not heavily campaigning in the months leading up to that primary, he had been dismissive of any pressure to retire. Six other Democrats were already challenging him in the race.
Tributes Poured In From Both Sides of the Aisle
Scott’s death was announced on the House floor and also during the Congressional Black Caucus’ weekly luncheon on Capitol Hill, where CBC chair Rep. Yvette
