Rep. David Scott, who represented parts of metro Atlanta in the U.S. House of Representatives, has died.
Scott was 80 years old.
Scott had been in office since 2003 and was running for his 13th term, WSB and The Associated Press reported.
His family confirmed his death. No cause was shared.
Scott was born in South Carolina but was active in Andrew Young’s congressional campaign in 1972. Scott ran himself in two years later and was elected to the Georgia House, serving from 1975 to 1982, WSB reported.
During his tenure as a state representative, he helped create PeachCare, health insurance for children.
He then ran for the state senate in 1982, winning the seat he held from 1983 to 2002, before setting his sights on Washington, D.C., representing the 13th district.
He was the first black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, the AP reported.
While, as the AP said, he was a “leading voice of his party on issues related to farm aid policy,” there were concerns about his health and was challenged in 2024 and again this year in the primaries.
Still, Democrats remembered Scott for the work he did on Capitol Hill over the past two decades.
“David Scott was a trailblazer who served district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House Ag Committee,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, according to the AP. “He cared about the people that he represented. He was fiercely committed to getting things done for the people of the great state of Georgia, and he’ll be deeply missed.
Scott left behind his wife and two daughters, WSB reported.