James Martin Scott (June 11, 1938 – April 13, 2017), known as "Landslide Jim", was an American politician and community affairs consultant. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in November 1991 by a margin of a single vote, and served eleven terms, declining to seek re-election in 2013. He represented the city of

Falls Church Falls Church City is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of 2020, it has ...

and part of Fairfax County, including Merrifield; since at least 2002, the district was numbered the 53rd.

Early and family life

Born in

Galax, Virginia Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statisti ...

, in 1938, Scott graduated from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, receiving a B.A. in 1960; and M.A. in 1965. Upon moving to northern Virginia to work for the

Inova Health System Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health organization based in Falls Church, Virginia, United States, near Washington, D.C. The system is a network of hospitals, outpatient services, assisted living and long-term care facilities, and ...

, Scott attended graduate classes at

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

, and received a master's degree in public affairs in 1982. His charitable work included through his

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

church, the Fairfax Partnership for Youth (board of directors), AHOME (Affordable Housing Opportunities Means Everyone), and the Fairfax Fair.

Career

Scott worked as community affairs consultant for

Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fairfax Medical Campus is the largest hospital campus in Northern Virginia and the flagship hospital of Inova Health System. Located in Woodburn in Fairfax County, Virginia, Inova Fairfax Hospital is one of the largest employers in the cou ...

. He served, part-time, on the

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, sometimes abbreviated as FCBOS, is the governing body of Fairfax County, Virginia, a county of over a million in Northern Virginia. The board has nine districts, and one at-large district which is always oc ...

from 1972 to 1986. Other public service positions he held were on the

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is an independent, nonprofit association designed to address regional issues confronting Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia. It was founded in 1957. MWCOG comprises 24 ...

, Northern Virginia Planning District Commission,

Northern Virginia Transportation Commission The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is an independent agency in the Commonwealth of Virginia to promote and improve transportation. It covers the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and the Cities of Alexandria, Falls Chu ...

(former chairman), Virginia Association of Counties (former President), and the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...

. Scott was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in the 1991 House of Delegates election to represent the 53rd district (covering the city of Falls Church), defeating Republican opponent David G. Sanders. Following a recount, Scott's margin of victory was determined to be a single vote (6,493 to 6,492), resulting in him earning the nickname "

Landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

Jim". During his tenure in the House of Delegates, he was considered to be a political liberal. Scott was re-elected 10 times. from 1991 to

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. In 2013 Scott announced that he would not run for reelection to the House of Delegates. He endorsed Marcus Simon, his former aide turned real estate lawyer, who was elected his successor.

Death

Jim Scott died on April 13, 2017, from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. He was 78 years old.

References

External links

* *
Project Vote Smart - Representative James Martin 'Jim' Scott (VA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - James M. Scott
2005200320011999
campaign contributions 1938 births 2017 deaths Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates United Church of Christ members University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni George Mason University alumni Politicians from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Galax, Virginia Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors 21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly Deaths from dementia in Virginia Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Virginia 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly {{Virginia-delegate-stub

Early and family life

Career

Death

See also

References

External links