Otto J. Scott
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Otto Scott (May 26, 1918 – May 5, 2006) was a journalist and author of corporate histories who also wrote biographies on notable figures such as the abolitionist
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
,
James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...
and
Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
.


Early life

Otto Joseph Scott was born Otto Scott-Estrella, Jr. in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and was the son of a broker. Constantly troubled in his youth, he was unable to complete high school, yet with his initiative he was able to get work as a reporter for a newspaper in
Fort Eustis Fort Eustis is a United States Army installation in Newport News, Virginia. In 2010, it was combined with nearby Langley Air Force Base to form Joint Base Langley–Eustis. The post is the home to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Co ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
when he was 16 years old. He then worked for
United Features Syndicate United Feature Syndicate (UFS) is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company, it was part of United Media (along wit ...
and the ''
San Diego Union ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
''. When World War II broke out, he joined the
United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...
. After the war, Scott worked in the advertising industry, then became editor of a manufacturing trade journal, ''Rubber World''. In the course of his assignments, he interviewed Paul Blazer, the chairman of
Ashland Oil Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc. is an American chemical company which operates in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company traces its roots back to the city of Ashland, Kentucky, where it was headquarter ...
, in
Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West Virginia. The population was 21,6 ...
, and was invited to write the history of the company. "He changed my life because he gave me a new trade," Scott says of the company chairman. "I didn't know I could write a book." From this beginning he worked on books in his later years detailing the corporate histories of
Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...
,
Black & Decker Black+Decker Inc. is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products, home appliances and fastening systems headquartered in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where the company was o ...
and Arch Mineral Corporation.


Later life and conversion to Christianity

After writing biographies on notable figures in history, a major event occurred in his life which was his conversion to Christianity. Not a regular churchgoer by any stretch of the imagination, Otto said in an interview for '' Insight Magazine'' that he read the Four Gospels in one night and was converted shortly thereafter. In his later years, he worked for
Chalcedon Foundation The Chalcedon Foundation is an American Christian Reconstructionist organization founded by Rousas John Rushdoony in 1965. Named for the Council of Chalcedon, it has also included theologians such as Gary North (economist), Gary North, who later f ...
and went on to publish his own newsletter ''The Compass'' which commented on events in history and present-day cultural affairs. According to scholars Edward Sebesta and Euan Hague, Scott's contributions as a historian and activist were closely linked to
Neo-Confederate Neo-Confederates are groups and individuals who portray the Confederate States of America and its actions during the American Civil War in a positive light. The League of the South, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and other neo-Confederate organ ...
Christian activists, and he was opposed to the historic
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...
,
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
, and anti-
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
movements.Edward H. Sebesta and Euan Hague, "The U.S. Civil War as a Theological War: Confederate Christian Nationalism and the League of the South," ''
Canadian Review of American Studies The ''Canadian Review of American Studies'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal concerning American Studies journal outside the United States. It is the only journal in Canada that deals with cross-border themes and their implications ...
'' 32:3 (2002): 267./
After suffering a fall in 2004 at his home near
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...
, Otto returned to
Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fe ...
to spend the last years of his life. He died in
Issaquah, Washington Issaquah ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 40,051 at the 2020 census. Located in a valley and bisected by Interstate 90, the city is bordered by the Sammamish Plateau to the north and the "Issaquah Alp ...
on May 5, 2006. Otto Scott is credited for inventing the phrase, made popular by President Richard Nixon, "the
silent majority The silent majority is an unspecified large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly. The term was popularized by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a televised address on November 3, 1969, in which he said, "A ...
". Otto Scott wrote a speech for the CEO of Ashland Oil, "The Silent Majority", delivered to the Chicago Men's Club (May 23, 1968).


Career highlights

*United Feature Syndicate, New York City, 1939–40 *Diamond & Sherwood, San Francisco, CA, 1948–53 *Globaltronix de Venezuela, Caracas, vice-president, 1954–56 *Mohr Associates, New York City, vice-president, 1957–59 *Becker, Scott & Associates, New York City, vice-president, 1960–63 *Rubber World, New York City, editor, 1964–67 *Ashland Oil, Inc., Ashland, KY, assistant to chair, 1968–69 *Compass Newsletter, 1993(?)–2005


Family

Otto Scott was married three times. His last wife was Anna Barney Scott. Otto Scott had four daughters from his three marriages.


References

Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002


External links


Otto Scott,1919–2006
* http://www.compassexplorers.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Otto Christian writers 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers United States Merchant Mariners of World War II American male journalists 20th-century American journalists 1918 births 2006 deaths People from Federal Way, Washington Converts to Christianity Historians from Washington (state) 20th-century American male writers