Burton A. Scott (February 16, 1935April 2, 2007) was an American attorney and judge. He was Chief Judge of the

Wisconsin Court of Appeals The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978 to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appe ...

from 1983 to 1989, near the end of a 19-year judicial career in Wisconsin.

Biography

Scott was born in

Hazel Green, Wisconsin Hazel Green is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, Grant and Lafayette County, Wisconsin, Lafayette counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,173 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Of this, 1,151 were in Grant Co ...

, on February 16, 1935. He attended high school in

Randolph, Wisconsin Randolph is a village in Columbia and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,796 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,338 were in Dodge County, and 458 were in Columbia County. The village is located at the southeast corne ...

and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

before graduating from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...

. After working with a private practice, in 1964 Scott became the first

corporation counsel The corporation counsel is the title given to the chief legal officer who handles civil claims against the city in some U.S. municipal and county jurisdictions, including negotiating settlements and defending the city when it is sued. Most corp ...

Kenosha County, Wisconsin Kenosha County () is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,151, and was estimated to be 168,754 in 2024, making it the eighth-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its c ...

. The next year he became City Attorney for the city of

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

, serving from 1965 to 1970. In 1970, he was elected

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Kenosha County but served only one year, when he was appointed County Judge in Kenosha County by Governor

Patrick Lucey Patrick Joseph Lucey (March 21, 1918 – May 10, 2014) was an American politician. A member of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Party, he served as the 38th governor of Wisconsin from 1971 to 1977. He was also independent president ...

. He served as County Judge until 1978, when the county courts were merged into the state circuit courts to create a new single level of trial courts. At that time, he became a

Wisconsin Circuit Court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 9 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and crimina ...

judge for Kenosha County. In 1980, he was elected to the

in Waukesha-based District II. After 3 years on the court, he was appointed Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, serving until 1989. In 1988 he served as chair of the National Council of Chief Judges of the Courts of Appeals of the United States. He retired in 1991 and became an associate dean of the

National Judicial College The National Judicial College (NJC) was established in 1963 as an entity within the American Bar Association. The NJC moved to the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno in 1964 and became a Nevada not-for-profit (501)(c)(3) educational corporat ...

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

Personal life and family

Burton Scott married Evelyn C. Magnuson on December 31, 1957. They had two children. His and his wife's passion for education led them to play an important role in the 1960s campaign to establish a University of Wisconsin branch in the Kenosha area—

University of Wisconsin–Parkside The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UW Parkside or UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-ti ...

. And they also campaigned for the 1978 referendum to fund construction of a new

Mary D. Bradford High School Bradford High School is a high school located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States, that serves students in grades 9 to 12. It is the main high school for students on the north side of the city. History Bradford High School was named after M ...

building. Judge Scott died on April 2, 2007, at his home in

Somers, Wisconsin Somers is a village in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,402 at the 2020 census. Somers has a post office with ZIP code 53171. The former unincorporated communities of Berryville, Central Park, and Kellogg's Corner ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Burton People from Hazel Green, Wisconsin People from Randolph, Wisconsin Politicians from Kenosha, Wisconsin Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges Wisconsin circuit court judges Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army soldiers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni University of Nevada, Reno faculty 1935 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Wisconsin state court judges People from Somers, Wisconsin 20th-century American lawyers