John Scott (?-1842)

Little is known about John Scott. Between the years 1816 and 1827, he was a representative to the North Carolina House of Commons from Hillsborough, in Orange County. From 1827 to 1835, he was solicitor general of North Carolina. After losing reelection to the seat, he came to Texas. He had a wife and children who remained in North Carolina.

In 1839, Scott was appointed judge of the Second Judicial District. He quickly resigned, however, due to doubts about the legality of his appointment, and ran for election to the post. In 1839, a Houston newspaper, The Telegraph and Texas Register, published an article praising him as an experienced lawyer, an able judge, and an honest man. However, he lost the election, and was also defeated in a run for the position of chief justice in 1840. As he resigned his post before serving a term on the court, he never sat on the court, and therefore wrote no opinion.

In January 1842, Scott was elected recorder of the City of Houston. He died June 4, 1842.

Notable opinions

Scott resigned his post before serving a term on the court, and therefore wrote no opinion.

Sources

Paulsen, James W. The Judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas, 65 Texas Law Review 237-468 (December 1986).

Extended bibliography

History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties 264, 590 (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1893).

Additional information available in Southwestern Historical Quarterly as follow:
Volume 62, page 317