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1997 SESSION

976055760
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 405
Offered February 17, 1997
On the death of Senator William L. Scott.
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Patrons-- Barry, Benedetti, Bolling, Chichester, Colgan, Couric, Earley, Edwards, Gartlan, Hanger, Hawkins, Holland, Houck, Howell, Lambert, Marsh, Martin, Marye, Maxwell, Miller, K.G., Miller, Y.B., Newman, Norment, Potts, Quayle, Reasor, Reynolds, Saslaw, Schrock, Stolle, Stosch, Ticer, Trumbo, Waddell, Walker, Wampler, Whipple, Williams and Woods; Delegates: Callahan and Rust
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Consent to introduce
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WHEREAS, William L. Scott, a former United States Senator from Virginia and a symbol of the Republican renaissance in the Commonwealth and throughout the South, died on February 14, 1997; and

WHEREAS, a native of Williamsburg, William Scott graduated from high school in St. Albans, West Virginia, then began work in 1934 with the U.S. Government Printing Office; and

WHEREAS, working his way through the George Washington University law school, William Scott obtained his law degree and began an 18-year career as a U.S. Justice Department lawyer; and

WHEREAS, in 1966, in the Eighth Congressional District, powerful Democratic incumbent Howard Smith was defeated in a primary, and William Scott seized the opportunity, ran as a Republican, and defeated George C. Rawlings, Jr., for the seat; and

WHEREAS, after serving three terms in the House of Representatives, William Scott ran in 1972 against incumbent William Spong, and in a startling upset, won a seat in the U.S. Senate and became the first Republican Senator from Virginia since Reconstruction; and

WHEREAS, Senator Scott's victory in 1972 was later seen as a key event in the rebuilding of the Republican Party in Virginia and in the South and came at the beginning of the 1970s, often called the Republican Decade in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, following his retirement from the Senate in 1978, Senator Scott remained active in politics and civic affairs in Fairfax County, where he resided for over 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Senator Scott was an active member of the Methodist Church, served as president of three Parent-Teacher Associations, was a Mason and a Shriner, and was active in many other community and professional organizations; and

WHEREAS, Senator William Scott twice accomplished what everyone at the time thought impossible, and through his confidence, perseverance, and self-reliance, he left a lasting imprint on the political landscape of the Commonwealth and the nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of a distinguished Virginian, Senator William L. Scott; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Senator William L. Scott as an expression of the great esteem in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the people of Virginia.