A native of Wheeling, West Virginia, Scott graduated from Jefferson College in 1827 and worked as a Presbyterian minister.[1] He was elected president of Washington College on November 10, 1852 and was inaugurated in 1853.[1] He earned a salary of $1000 per year and received a raise to $1500 per year in 1859. In 1860, he was elected president of the Maryland Agricultural College, but was unavailable to serve.[2] By 1862, Washington College's enrollment dropped by about two-thirds, as 90 students joined the armed services to fight in the American Civil War.[1] Scott retired from the presidency in August 1865, ostensibly to smooth the merger between Washington College and Jefferson College. He continued his career in academia by teaching at West Virginia University, where he also served as acting president 1876-1877.[1][3][4]
4. The History of Education in West Virginia; State Institutions - West Virginia University, Waitman Rabre, Litt. D., 1909, West Virginia State Department of History, p. 57.
# denotes acting president or chancellor – † denotes elected but never served
Note: from 1920 to 1970, the president of College Park campus was also the leader of each of the other campuses in the University of Maryland system
