Abram Marshall Scott (March 13, 1785 – June 12, 1833) was a National Republican Mississippi politician born in Edgefield County in the Province of South Carolina. He was an early settler of Wilkinson County, Mississippi and was instrumental in founding the town of Woodville, Mississippi. He held local political offices before his election to the Mississippi State Senate.

Abram Marshall Scott
7th Governor of Mississippi
In office
January 9, 1832 – June 12, 1833
LieutenantFountain Winston (1832)
Office abolished (1832–1833)
Preceded byGerard Brandon
Succeeded byCharles Lynch
5th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
In office
January 1828 – January 9, 1832
GovernorGerard Brandon
Preceded byGerard Brandon
Succeeded byFountain Winston
Member of the Mississippi State Senate
In office
1822
In office
1826–1827
Personal details
Born(1785-03-13)March 13, 1785
Edgefield County, South Carolina
DiedJune 12, 1833(1833-06-12) (aged 48)
Jackson, Mississippi

Early life

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Abram Marshall Scott was born in 1785 in Edgefield County, South Carolina. He migrated to Wilkinson County, Mississippi early in his life, where he would serve as a tax collector. During the War of 1812, Scott served as a lieutenant in the 1st Mississippi Regiment of Volunteers.[1]

Political career

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Scott served as a delegate during Mississippi's Constitutional Convention of 1817, before serving in the state senate in 1822 and 1826–1827. In 1828, Scott was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, and in 1832, he was sworn in as the seventh Governor of Mississippi, having defeated Hiram Runnels in the general election of August 1831.

During Scott's administration, the State of South Carolina attempted to nullify a tariff passed by the United States Congress, leading to the Nullification Crisis, in which South Carolina's government threatened to secede from the United States. Like other southern states, Mississippi did not support South Carolina's actions, defusing the crisis.[2]

In 1832, Mississippi ratified a new constitution, which led to a special election for public officials under the new constitution in May 1833. Scott was defeated by Hiram Runnels in this election, but due to disputes over the legality of the special election, Scott was permitted to remain in office. He served until he died on June 12, 1833, due to a cholera epidemic in Jackson, and was succeeded by Charles Lynch.[2]

He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi. Scott County, Mississippi is named in his honor.

References

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  1. ^ "Abram Marshall Scott". National Governors Association. January 10, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Sansing, David (December 2003). "Abram M. Scott". Mississippi History Now. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
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Party political offices
Preceded by
George W. Winchester
National Republican nominee for Governor of Mississippi
1831
Succeeded by
None
First Whig nominee for Governor of Mississippi
1833
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
1828–1832
Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Mississippi
1832–1833
Succeeded by