Thomas Scott was Clerk of the Ohio State Senate 1803-1809 and an Ohio Supreme Court Judge 1809-1816.

Thomas Scott was born at Oldtown, Frederick (now Allegany) County, Maryland. At age eighteen, he was ordained to preach in the Methodist church and, in 1793, was placed in charge of the Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 circuit. In May 1796, he married Catherine Wood. He learned the art of tailoring, and studied law under James Brown of Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

. He practiced in Flemingsburgh, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 in 1799 and 1800.

Scott came to Chillicothe, Ohio

Chillicothe, Ohio

Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...

 early in 1801, and was licensed to practice in June, 1801. He was Clerk of the Northwest Territory

Northwest Territory

The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...

 Legislature that winter. In November, 1802, he was secretary at the State Constitutional Convention

Ohio Constitutional Convention (1802)

The Enabling Act of 1802 was passed on April 30, 1802 by the Seventh Congress of the United States. This act authorized the residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory to form the state of Ohio and join the U.S. on an equal footing with the other states...

. He was first justice of the peace in Ross County

Ross County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...

, and was clerk of the Ohio Senate

Ohio Senate

The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...

 1803-1809. He was Prosecuting Attorney of Ross County, 1804 and 1805.

In 1809, Scott was chosen Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court, serving until February, 1816. Scott was a Whig

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

 until Henry Clay

Henry Clay

Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...

 blocked his appointment as Federal District Judge. He then became a Democrat, remaining so until the candidacy of General Harrison

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...

 in 1840, after which he returned to the Whigs.

From 1829 to 1845, Scott served as register of public lands at the Chillicothe Federal Land Office

Federal Land Office

left|thumb|300px|alt=historical marker saying Federal Land Office This log building was constructed in 1801 by David Hoge on the west side of Third Street. It served as his home and as the first Federal land office in that part of the Northwest Territory known as the Seven Ranges. In 1809 it was...

. When he died February 13, 1856 at Chillicothe, he had been active as a lawyer longer than anyone in Ohio, and "probably, longer a preacher of the gospel than any other minister in the United States."