George Mathew Scott (September 14, 1922 – May 25, 2006) was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court wa ...

Early life and education

The youngest of eight children, Scott was born in

Clark, New Jersey Clark is a township in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,544 an increase of 788 (+5.3%) from the 2010 census count of 14,756, which had in turn increased by ...

, and grew up in a rural home without electricity or running water. Scott joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1942 and studied engineering at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

through an Army-funded program. The program was eventually ended and Scott participated in the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. He studied law at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

before earning his law degree from the St. Paul College of Law.

Career

After graduating from law school, Scott practiced law in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Scott was a Minnesota deputy attorney general and attorney for

Hennepin County, Minnesota Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapol ...

. In 1970, Scott sought the

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

nomination in the

1970 Minnesota gubernatorial election The 1970 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1970. Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate Wendell Anderson defeated Republican Party of Minnesota challenger Douglas M. Head. Results External link ...

, losing to

Wendell R. Anderson Wendell Richard "Wendy" Anderson (February 1, 1933 – July 17, 2016) was an American hockey player, politician, and the List of governors of Minnesota, 33rd governor of Minnesota, serving from January 4, 1971, to December 29, 1976. In late 1976 ...

. In 1973, Scott was appointed to the

and served until 1987.

Personal life

Scott retired in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

because of ill health. Scott and his wife, Joyce, had five children, three of whom became attorneys.

References

1922 births 2006 deaths Politicians from Minneapolis University of Minnesota alumni William Mitchell College of Law alumni Minnesota Democrats Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Minneapolis 20th-century American lawyers {{Minnesota-politician-stub People from Clark, New Jersey