Timothy Eugene Scott born September 19, 1965 is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Carolina since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a Charleston city councilor, a state representative, and a U.S. Representative. He also worked in financial services before entering politics.
Tim Scott Facts
- Born : Timothy Eugene ScottSeptember 19, 1965
- North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
- Political party : Republican
- Education: Charleston Southern
- Ranking : Member of the Senate Banking Committee
- Member of the Charleston County Council
- from the : 3rd district
Tim Scott Early life and education
Tim Scott im Scott was born on September 19, 1965, in North Charleston, South Carolina, to Frances, a nursing assistant, and Ben Scott Sr. When Scott was seven years old, his parents divorced, leaving him and his older brother, who later became a sergeant major in the U.S. Army, to grow up in working-class poverty with their mother. Frances often worked double shifts to support her family.
After his parents’ divorce, Scott, along with his mother and older brother, moved into his maternal grandparents’ house. There, he formed a close bond with his grandfather.
As a freshman at North Charleston’s R.B. Stall High School, he failed several subjects, prompting his mother to send him to summer school, which he had to finance by working at a local movie theater.During this time, he met John Moniz, the owner of a nearby Chick-fil-A. Their initial interaction over a sandwich at Scott’s workplace evolved into a substantial mentorship. Moniz educated Scott on individual responsibility, conservative business principles, philanthropy, and finance
Tim Scott From an early age, Scott enjoyed sports, and excelled at football. He overcame racial prejudice in high school, securing election as student body vice president in his junior year and student body president as a senior.
A month before his senior year, he fell asleep while driving, resulting in a car accident that dimmed his prospects as a football recruit. Nevertheless, he attended Presbyterian College from 1983 to 1984 on a partial football scholarship. There he was introduced to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an encounter that led him to his Christian faith, which became a central part of his life.Scott later transferred to Charleston Southern University, where he graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science.
Upon graduating from college, Scott worked as an insurance agent and financial adviser, a stepping stone toward starting his insurance agency, Tim Scott Allstate. His professional accomplishments enabled him to purchase a home for his mother
Tim Scott Early political career
Scott ran in a February 1995 special election for the Charleston County Council at-large seat vacated by Keith Summey, who had resigned upon being elected mayor of North Charleston. Scott won the seat as a Republican, receiving nearly 80% of the vote in the white-majority district.He became the first black Republican elected to any office in South Carolina since the late 19th century.
In 1996, Scott challenged Democratic State Senator Robert Ford in South Carolina’s 42nd Senate district but lost 65–35%.
Scott was reelected to the Charleston County Council in 2000.In 2004, he was reelected again with 61% of the vote, defeating Democrat Elliot Summey (son of Mayor Keith Summey)better source needed]
Tenure on County Council
Scott served on the Charleston County Council from 1995 until 2009, becoming chairman in 2007. In 1997, he supported posting the Ten Commandments outside the council chambers, saying it would remind members of the absolute rules they should follow. The county council unanimously approved the display, and Scott nailed a King James version of the Commandments to the wall. Shortly thereafter, the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State challenged this in a federal suit. After an initial court ruling that the display was unconstitutional, the council settled out of court to avoid incurring more legal fees. Of the costs of the suit, Scott said, “Whatever it costs in the pursuit of this goal is worth it.”
In January 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Charleston County, South Carolina for racial discrimination under the Voting Rights Act, because its council seats were based on at-large elections, meaning that the whole county voted to fill each seat. DOJ had attempted to negotiate with county officials on this issue in November 2000. Justice officials noted that at-large seats dilute the voting strength of the significant African American minority in the county, who in 2000 made up 34.5% of the population. They had been unable to elect any “candidates of their choice” for years. Whites or European Americans made up 61.9% of the county population. County officials noted that the majority of voters in 1989 had approved electing members by at-large seats in a popular referendum.
Scott, the only African American member of the county council, said of this case and the alternative of electing council members from single-member districts:
The Department of Justice alleged that the issue was not a question of ethnicity, stating that voters in black precincts in the county had rejected Scott as a candidate for the council. The lawsuit noted that because of the white majority, “white bloc voting usually results in the defeat of candidates who are preferred by black voters.” The Department added that blacks live in compact areas of the county and could be a majority in three districts if the county seats were apportioned as nine single-member districts
The Department of Justice won the case. A new districting plan replaced the at-large method of electing the Charleston City Council. The federal court found that the former method violated the Voting Rights Act, following a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department.Scott was then elected to the Charleston County Council by District 3, rather than by the whole county.I don’t like the idea of segregating everyone into smaller districts. Besides, the Justice Department assumes that the only way for African-Americans to have representation is to elect an African-American, and the same for whites. Obviously, my constituents don’t think that’s true.
Tim Scott U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2013)
In March 2011, Scott co-sponsored a welfare reform bill that the liberal blog ThinkProgress said would terminate food stamps to families when a family member participates in a labor strike; the Republican Study Committee denied that charge. He introduced legislation in July 2011 so that the National Labor Relations Board could not order “any employer to relocate, shut down, or transfer employment under any circumstance”.The NLRB had recently opposed the relocation of a Boeing production facility from Washington state to South Carolina
Scott successfully advocated for federal funds for a Charleston harbor dredging project estimated at $300 million, saying the project was neither an earmark nor an example of wasteful government spending. He said the project was merit-based and in the national interest because larger cargo ships could use the port and jobs would be created. During the summer 2011 debate over raising the U.S. debt ceiling, Scott supported the inclusion of a balanced budget amendment in the debt ceiling bill, but after a day full of meetings and prayer he went from leaning No on the bill to voting No