Eva Mae Fleming Scott (May 6, 1926 – March 28, 2019) was an American

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

, businesswoman and politician from Virginia. Despite redistricting problems, she served four consecutive two-year terms as delegate in the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

. In 1979 she became the first woman elected to the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senate, senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor ...

, where she served a single term.

Early and family life

Scott was a native of

Amelia County, Virginia Amelia County is a county located just southwest of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The county is located in Central Virginia and is included in the Greater Richmond Region. Its county seat is Amelia Court House. Amel ...

, and lived there for most of her life. From a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

family – her father was the chairman of the Amelia County Republican Party – she attended

Longwood College Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Lo ...

, graduating with a degree in English and Communications and a minor in business in 1947. She then attended the pharmacy school of the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, in the Court End neighborhood. VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), which merged with the ...

before returning to Amelia and opening a pharmacy. She married local businessman Leander Scott, and had five children with him.

Political career

Scott first won election to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in 1971, running as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

after her predecessor had suffered a stroke. She had six weeks to campaign, and won by 121 votes. She was reelected three times, serving a total of four two-year terms. Soon after her first victory redistricting based on the 1970 census happened. Scott and her family moved to Dinwiddie County, since her Amelia County residence was no longer within the district that had elected her. Scott once described herself as "a real conservative. Conservative first. Republican second." She became noted during her time as a delegate for her belief in limited government and free enterprise, and expressed her opposition to abortion and the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

. Scott limited the amounts she would allow people to contribute to her campaigns, fearing that otherwise she might become indebted to those who gave her money and would compromise her beliefs. Over her three terms in the House, Scott served on a number of committees, including Militia and Police, Counties Cities and Towns, Labor and Commerce, and Roads and Internal Navigation.Legislative profile
from the 1972 session of the Virginia House of Delegates Redistricted out of her House of Delegates district again, Scott chose to run for the Virginia State Senate in 1979. She won the Republican nomination, and narrowly defeated the incumbent. She served only one four-year term, choosing not to run for reelection in 1983 when the boundaries of her Senate district changed. Scott later stated that she was not aware of any discrimination while serving in the Senate, even if it was present. Following her retirement from elective office, Scott remained active in conservative causes and the local Republican Party. She also helped operate her family's lumber business. She stated that she felt obligated to continue her career in public service, as the electorate trusted her enough to elect her to office. She expressed support for the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defic ...

. She was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. The

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and i ...

named Scott one of the

Virginia Women in History Virginia Women in History was an annual program sponsored by the Library of Virginia that honored Virginia women, living and dead, for their contributions to their community, region, state, and nation. The program began in 2000 under the aegis of th ...

in 2013.

Death

Scott died on March 28, 2019, aged 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Eva Mae Fleming 1926 births 2019 deaths American pharmacists Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia state senators Women state legislators in Virginia Virginia Independents Virginia Republicans Longwood University alumni Medical College of Virginia alumni People from Amelia County, Virginia Businesspeople from Virginia 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American women politicians Baptists from Virginia 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American businesspeople Women pharmacists 20th-century Baptists

Early and family life

Political career

Death

See also

References