William Lawrence Scott | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's27th district | |
| In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel M. Brainerd |
| Succeeded by | Lewis F. Watson |
| 10th and 12th Mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 1, 1871 – December 31, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Orange Noble |
| Succeeded by | Charles Manning Reed |
| In office January 1, 1866 – December 31, 1866 | |
| Preceded by | F. F. Farrar |
| Succeeded by | Orange Noble |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1828-07-02)July 2, 1828 |
| Died | September 19, 1891(1891-09-19) (aged 63) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Matilda Tracy |
| Relations | Gustavus Scott (grandfather) |
| Parent(s) | Robert Scott Mary Ann Lewis |
| Alma mater | Hampden-Sydney College |
William Lawrence Scott (July 2, 1828 – September 19, 1891) was aDemocratic member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania, a prominent railroad executive, as well as a prominenthorse breeder andhorse racer.[1]
William Lawrence Scott was born on July 2, 1828, inWashington, D.C., to Mary Ann Lewis (died 1879) and Colonel Robert Scott (U.S. Army) (1798–1835),[2] of Virginia, a graduate of theUnited States Military Academy at West Point, who was detailed to the nation's capital at the time of his son's birth.[3] Scott's Father died when he was only about seven years old. His elder brother, Robert Wainright Scott (1827–1866),[4] was educated at theNaval Academy at Annapolis, served with distinction in theU.S. Civil War, and died while commander of theUSS Saginaw atAcapulco, Mexico, on January 5, 1866.[3][5]
His paternal grandfather wasGustavus Scott (1753–1800), a colonial lawyer and public official from Maryland who was appointed byPresident Washington the first Commissioner of Public Buildings for the City of Washington.[3] His maternal grandfather was Col. Henry Lewis of Virginia, a Judge.[2]
He attended the common schools andHampden-Sydney College inVirginia.
From 1840 to 1846, Scott served as aUnited States House of Representatives Page. After returning toErie, Pennsylvania, withCharles Manning Reed, at the end of Reed's term in the U.S. Congress, he was employed as a shipping clerk at Reed's lakeside wharves for several years. He then spent some years traveling, working as a peddler, fisherman, and clerk until he was 23 years old.
Scott became a prosperous land owner, investor, and businessman engaged in shipping,coal mining,iron manufacturing, banking, andrailroad construction through various partnerships and the firm of W. L. Scott & Co., which he established around 1871.[3] One trade at the New York Stock Exchange was said to have earned him $2 million. His fortune was estimated at $15 million. He served as president of a number of railroad companies, including theNew York, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk Railroad and theErie and Pittsburgh Railroad.[3]
Scott was electedmayor of Erie in 1866 and again in 1871. He served as a member of theDemocratic National Committee from 1876 to 1884, and was appointed again in 1886. He was a delegate to theDemocratic National Conventions in1868,1876,1880, and1888. Scott was considered a possible choice forUnited States Secretary of the Treasury underGrover Cleveland.[6][7]
Scott was elected as a Democrat to theForty-ninth andFiftieth Congresses. He served as chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy during the Fiftieth Congress. He was renominated in 1888 and again in 1890 but each time declined to be a candidate due to his health.[8][9]
As the reportedly wealthiest member of theHouse of Representatives at the time, and a close friend of PresidentGrover Cleveland,[1][10] Scott did a great deal of entertaining at Scott House, which overlooked Old Plantation Creek. Scott had a passion for race horses and his farm had facilities, including a one-mile (1.6 km)race track, to breed and winter 35 northern-owned race horses.[11]
In June 1883, Scott bought the 2,650-acre (10.7 km2) Hollywood Farm on theChesapeake Bay inVirginia from the heirs of the lateGovernor Littleton Tazewell for $55,000. His purchase included the Tazewell house which became known as the Scott House after he renovated and enlarged it in 1886. Scott bought the land primarily to establish a terminus, a harbor and a town for the services of his railroad, the New York, Pennsylvania and Norfolk. Scott immediately deeded part of his 2,650-acre (10.7 km2) purchase to the railroad and the following year, in 1884, he laid out the Town ofCape Charles, Virginia, on 135 acres (0.55 km2).[12][13]
He established theAlgeria Stock Farm in Erie, purchasing for $30,000 the French championRayon d'Or (theleading sire in North America in 1889) and a stock of high bredbroodmares. Scott maintained a farm for yearlings inSt. Charles, Maryland. Scott's horse Chaos won theFuturity Stakes in 1889. Scott was a stockholder and member of the board of the racetracks owned by theConey Island Jockey Club, theMonmouth Park Association, and theBrooklyn Jockey Club.[1]
In 1853, he was married to Mary Matilda Tracy (d. 1898), eldest daughter of John A. Tracy, an attorney in Erie, and the sister of Frank F. Tracy, a prominent member of theNew York Stock Exchange and one-time president of theChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.[3] Together, they had:[1]
Scott died from heart failure on September 19, 1891, inNewport, Rhode Island.[1] His body was buried atErie Cemetery.[18] He was interred in a mausoleum designed by E.L. Pelton, an Erie architect, completed in 1889 at a cost of $40,000 (equivalent to $1,399,852 today).[19]
At the time of his death, his wealth was estimated at $15,000,000 (equivalent to $524,944,444 today)[1] to $25,000,000 (equivalent to $874,907,407 today).[20] In December 1891, the value of the estate was estimated at no more than $7,000,000 (equivalent to $244,974,074 today), all of which was left to his family.[21]
Through his eldest daughter, he was the grandfather of Mathilde Scott Townsend (1885–1949), who was married toPeter Goelet Gerry (1879–1957), the son ofElbridge Thomas Gerry (1837–1927) and great-grandson ofElbridge Gerry (1744–1814), the fifthVice President of the United States. They divorced in 1925 and later that same year, she marriedSumner Welles (1892–1961), theUnder Secretary of State from 1937 to 1943 duringFranklin D. Roosevelt's presidency.[22]
Through his second daughter, he was the grandfather of Matilda Thora Wainwright Strong (1882–1939), who married Reginald Ronalds (1865–1924), the son ofFanny Ronalds, on February 24, 1906. They divorced in 1910 and she was later married to Clyde B. Leasure from June 28, 1917, until December 23, 1921.[16]
Robert Wainwright Scott (-1866).
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 27th congressional district 1885 - 1889 | Succeeded by |
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