Attorney, civic and religious leader. Coming to America in 1889 he attended several universities including Notre Dame and Georgetown, his degrees include M.A., PhD. and LL.D. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1893 and practiced since that day. He was nominated for the U.S. Senate in 1910 but declined nomination. He served 5 terms as president of the Los Angeles Board of Education and was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, serving as president for 11 years. In 1902 he was named a member of the Charter Revision Committee which conducted the first significant reform of Los Angeles city government. In 1911 he was honorary vice president of the Panama Expedition at San Francisco. As a Republican he gave the nominating speech for Herbert Hoover at the 1932 Chicago convention. President Wilson appointed him chairman of the Draft Board of Southern California, he having jurisdiction over 33 boards. In religious life he was known as the "father of the Knights of Columbus" in California, he being the first deputy in 1903 and he made lecturing tours nationwide on behalf of the organization which also including speaking at International Eucharistic Conferences worldwide. His service to the Catholic Church was rewarded by three Papal decorations, by Pope Pius XI as a Knight of St. Gregory, by Pope Benedict XV as a Knight Commander of St. Gregory with diplomatic star, and by Pope Pius XII as Papal Chamberlain with cape, this being the highest honor a Catholic layman can receive. Known as Southern California's #1 Irishman, he was the oldest member of the Hibernian Order of Los Angeles. As attorney he was famed as a defender of the underdog and for his courtroom orations in the old school tradition and best remembered for his excoriation of Charlie Chaplin in a paternity suit brought by Joan Barry. In 1911 he helped defend union members after charged with bombing the Los Angeles Times building which caused the deaths of 21 people. The accused did confess, but for his defense publisher Otis virulently attacked Scott in the press for years to come. So loved was he by the City of Los Angeles, that his body lay in state in the city hall rotunda for 2 days and his funeral Mass at the St. Vibiana Cathedral was attended by over 1200 people, the list basically a 'who's who' of Southern California included the governor, the police chief, court justices, ambassadors and a personal representative from the Prime Minister of Ireland, and similarly in attendance were Bishops from throughout California and the nation, and a Cardinal. A bronze statue of Scott stands in the northeast corner of the district court grounds in downtown Los Angeles.