Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., who made history as the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has died, his office said in a statement Wednesday. He was 80.
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“Congressman Scott’s passing is deeply sad,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said as he emerged from a meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus, where Scott had been a longtime member. “David Scott was a trailblazer who served the district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House [Agriculture] Committee.
“He cared about the people that he represented,” Jeffries continued. “He was fiercely committed to getting things done for the people of the great state of Georgia, and he’ll be deeply missed.”
NBC News reached out to Scott’s office for comment.
Scott was first elected to Congress, representing a district near Atlanta, in 2002. He was running for re-election for a 13th term in the House. Earlier this month, NBC News reported that Scott was outraised in fundraising by four of his primary opponents in the first quarter.
Scott voted on the floor as recently as Tuesday afternoon, according to the clerk’s records.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens mourned Scott’s death in a statement, calling the congressman “a tireless advocate for the people he served.”
“For decades, he fought for Georgia farmers, advocated for our veterans and ensured his constituents were supported at the street level with job and health fairs, serving tens of thousands of Georgians over the years,” Dickens said in the statement. “His legacy is one of service, perseverance and deep commitment to this state.”
The first Black chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, he was replaced as the committee’s top Democrat by Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., in 2024 as the party looked to bring in younger committee leadership.
Scott had in recent years faced questions about his health. In 2022, Politico reported that people close to Scott felt he slowed noticeably in recent years. Two years later, he lashed out at a photographer taking a photo of him being pushed in a wheelchair, yelling, “Who gave you the right to take my picture, asshole?”
This Congress is the third-oldest in U.S. history, according to an NBC News tally. As of January, more than a dozen House lawmakers age 80 and older were running for re-election, including Scott.
Scott’s death also follows several other lawmakers who have died in recent years. Reps. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas; Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.; and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., died last year. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died earlier this year as well.
Scott’s death brings the party breakdown in the House to 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats and one independent — Rep. Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with Republicans.
Under Georgia election law, the governor must declare a special election within 10 days of a vacancy, and the special election must be at least 30 days after that declaration.
Former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., who served in Congress alongside Scott for decades, noted that the Georgia congressman got his start in South Carolina.
“A lot of people associate him with Atlanta, but David was born and raised on a little tobacco farm in South Carolina and got an opportunity because of his parents being domestic workers, the people that they worked for helped him go to Wharton Business School,” Clyburn recalled in an interview with NBC News, “and he never forgot that.”
Scott also had family ties to professional sports. His brother-in-law was the baseball legend Hank Aaron, who played for the Atlanta Braves, and his grandson is the NFL running back Kimani Vidal.
As the leader of the Agriculture Committee, Scott had enormous influence over billions of dollars of farm subsidies, food stamps and school lunches.
“It’s basically everything that we do,” Clyburn said. “It’s food stamps, the WIC program, housing programs, energy programs. Ag is a big deal, especially for rural America.”
Scott’s death comes at a turbulent time in the House. Last week, Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell has admitted “mistakes” in judgment but, through a lawyer, denied allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Gonzales admitted to having a romantic relationship with a staffer who later died of suicide. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned on Tuesday, minutes before a hearing to discuss whether to expel her from Congress over allegations she stole federal relief funds. She denied any wrongdoing.