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Judge
Leonard W. Scott
and The Scott Family of Caldwell County
by
Wayne & Ricke Scott
Photos courtesy the Scott Family |
| | Leonard
W. Scott with family c. 1947 | |
The Scott Family
Saga began in the late 1850s - early 1860s when Daniel Bradford Scott and his
wife Sara came to Texas from Mississippi to reunite with family members already
here.
Lon
Walker Scott (Father of Judge Leonard Scott) was only about a year old when the
family arrived - moving first to Milam County and then to Caldwell County.
Lon
Scott met Lou Ella Crunk Vaughan, a part of the Bagley family who lived outside
of Martindale. They married and had five children, including Leonard, who was
born on a farm near Staples, Texas on April 25th 1914.
The family moved
briefly to Karnes County where Leonard met Bonnie Hinkle Scott from the Pawnee
community of Bee County. |
| | Bonnie
Hinkle and Leonard W. Scott c. 1940 | |
Leonard didn't
come to Lockhart until 1934 or 35
when he brought in a load of cattle (by horseback) to sell. He broke his thumb
during the trip, so he dropped off the cows and spent the night behind his Uncle
Walter Scott's Magnolia Service Station where Walter helped him get to a doctor
the next day. He stayed a few days, helping out, then later returned to work for
Uncle Walker for about $30.00 a month as a gas attendant. From that job he was
recruited by Goodyear to manage their Lockhart store. |
| | Leonard
W. Scott (center) with employees in front of Lockhart's Goodyear store. |
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| Leonard was mostly
self-educated and his formal education was only to the eighth grade. He put his
life-experience to work managing his store, while still farming and raising cattle.
He watched his Goodyear outlet outsell much larger stores in Houston, San Antonio,
and Dallas. He served in WWII and finally retired after 35 years with Goodyear.
He immediately went straight into public service and was popular enough to get
elected three times, helped revise the EMS system for the county, improved fire
service, obtained grants for agriculture, and tried in vain to improve growth
for the county. |
| | "Leonard
W. Scott's swearing-in as County Judge, on January 2nd, 1975. Sworn in by then
County Attorney Bill Fieldler, he served for three more terms until his death
on November 28, 1987." | |
During all this time
this layman held court then helped establish the first County Court at Law for
Caldwell County in 1987. He also set up the first modern County Fire Marshal for
the county. He served as Judge from 1974 until early 1987 when he retired. He
died of cancer in November of 1987.
Leonard & Bonnie have three sons. Leonard Wayne, a longtime Professor
of Law & Mediation at St. Mary's in San Antonio, Mike, a Pharmacist
with a local pharmacy for thirty years in Lockhart, now living in
Grapevine, and Ricke, a retired Police Officer and the (past) second
county fire Marshall for the county. |
Judge Leonard
W. Scott Stories by Wayne Scott:My
Father's Desk My
Father's Tool Shed Coming Soon
Furnishing
the "Little Red House" Coming Soon |
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