William L. Scott

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This article is about the Virginia Senator. For the Pennsylvania Congressman, see William Lawrence Scott.

William Scott

William Lloyd Scott (July 1, 1915 – February 14, 1997) was a Republican politician from Virginia.

Scott was born in Williamsburg, Virginia. He received a law degree from George Washington University, and was employed by the federal government 1934-1961, principally as trial attorney with Department of Justice. He engaged in private practice of law in Fairfax, Virginia, 1961-1966.

Scott won the Republican nomination for Virginia's 8th Congressional district in 1966. He expected to face 18-term Democratic incumbent and House Rules Committee chairman Howard W. Smith in November, but Smith was defeated by a more liberal Democrat, George C. Rawlings, Jr., in the Democratic primary. Gaining support from more conservative Democrats, Scott handily defeated Rawlings in November. He was easily reelected twice.

In 1972, he won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate and defeated freshman Democrat William B. Spong, Jr. in a very close race. Scott probably would not have won had it not been for Richard Nixon's massive landslide in that year's presidential election. Nixon won Virginia by almost 38 points and carried all but one of the state's counties. Scott didn't run for reelection in 1978.

Scott was a resident of Fairfax Station, Virginia, until his death from Alzheimer's Disease in a nursing center in Fairfax, Va. Interment was in Fairfax Memorial Park, Fairfax, Va.

The magazine New Times reported in 1974 that he had been ranked "Dumbest Congressman" by a Ralph Nader-affiliated research group^[1]^[2]; Scott held a press conference to deny this judgement.