Z. D. Scott

Ziba Dexter Scott (1846–1922) was a socialist politician and activist in the Dakota Territory and later the United States state of South Dakota.

Portrait of Z. D. Scott, undated

In 1887, Scott was serving as the treasurer of Grant County, South Dakota.[1] He served in the South Dakota State Senate from 1891 to 1892.[2] Representing the 31st district, encompassing Grant County and Roberts County in the second legislative session since statehood,[3] Scott sat in the state senate as an independent and during his term resided in Wilmot, in Roberts County.[4] Scott, along with another independent, played a role in an effort to get fellow state senator of the 33rd district, James H. Kyle, of the Populist Party, elected to the United States Senate in 1891.[5]

He attempted to return to the state senate in 1894, a candidate under the populist banner for Beadle County.[6] He was endorsed by the Beadle County Independents' Central Committee.[7] A newspaper column at the time, entitled "Great Scott!" commented:

Z. D. Scott, candidate for state senator on the pop ticket represented Grant county in the legislature of 1890. His record was one continual round of failures, his chief stock in trade during that session was windy crankisms. At the close of the session he went home to his Grant county constituents and they gave him the coldest kind of a cold shoulder. Two years thereafter he again was a candidate and his own party people sat down on him and he was defeated. Then he sought pastures new and located in Beadle county, and is today tho pop candidate for state senator. He will be defeated here and then he will go to other pastures and Beadle county will, like Grant county, know him no more.

— The Daily Huronite, November 3, 1894, [6]

Scott's candidacy was eventually unsuccessful.[4] At the time, Scott was residing in Huron, South Dakota. He also maintained a farm in Grant County.[8] In 1895, Scott was living in Mississippi, on land he had purchased near the Gulf of Mexico (near Biloxi).[9] Another newspaper column, again titled "Great Scott!", also in The Daily Huronite at the time noted that Scott has "established a co-operative colony" there with "a few others of socialistic proclivities" would "live on fish and oysters and dream dreams".[10]

Z. D. Scott was one of the original founders, an active member, lecturer and treasurer of the Dakota Farmers' Alliance.[5] He resided in Milbank, Dakota Territory during the late 1880s.[11][12][13] By 1892, Scott was also the president of the Alliance Hail Association, an association providing hail damage insurance to farmers.[14][15] He was also a member and organizer of the Milbank Knights of Labor.[5][16] Scott, also a notable writer, also wrote articles for The Watertown Public Opinion in Watertown, South Dakota.[5]

Scott is remembered presently mainly on the basis of his socialist political beliefs at the time. An 1897 article in The Aberdeen Daily News lauded Scott as an "erstwhile tireless exponent" of socialism "who had the courage to put his convictions to the test". The same article also gave recognition to Scott's service to the Dakota Farmers' Alliance, describing him as a "tireless worker for it's success, directing much of his time to increasing its membership and spreading its usefulness."[9] A 1993 publication described that Scott was "held in high esteem" across the Dakota Territory at the time, and had become one of the leading figures for the co-operative commonwealth movement of the time.[5]

See also

References
  1. "HI, THERE!", The Daily Huronite, Wednesday, July 20, 1887, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  2. Lawrence Kestenbaum. "Index to Politicians: Scott, U to Z". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  3. 1903 South Dakota Legislative Blue Book
  4. "Legislator Historical Listing - Legislator Information". Legis.state.sd.us. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  5. Sannes, Erling N. (1993). Knowledge Is Power: The Knights of Labor in South Dakota. South Dakota State Historical Society Press.
  6. "Great Scott!", The Daily Huronite, Saturday, November 03, 1894, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  7. "Huronitems", The Daily Huronite", Thursday, July 12, 1894, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  8. "Vain Hope", The Daily Huronite, Tuesday, October 16, 1894, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  9. "Socialistic Plan Fails", The Cortland Evening Standard, January 16, 1897, pg. 7.
  10. "Great Scott!", The Daily Huronite, Saturday, May 11, 1895, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  11. "Official Directory", Bismarck Daily Tribune, Wednesday, August 24, 1887, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States Of America
  12. "Huronitems", The Daily Huronite, Friday, July 19, 1889, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  13. "Huronitems", The Daily Huronite, Wednesday, January 30, 1889, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  14. Robinson, Elwyn (1966). History of North Dakota (PDF). University of Nebraska Press. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  15. "ALLIANCE HAIL ASSOCIATION", The Daily Huronite, Thursday, April 28, 1892, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
  16. "The Knights of Labor", The Daily Huronite, Wednesday, June 19, 1889, Huron, South Dakota, United States Of America
Political offices
Preceded by
unknown		 Treasurer of Grant County, South Dakota
circa late 1880s		 Succeeded by
unknown
Preceded by
John S. Proctor		 Member of the South Dakota Senate from the 31st District
Second Session of the Senate
1891–1892		 Succeeded by
Nicholas I. Lowthian
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