John Scott
Co-counsel to plaintiffs in Oliver Brown et al v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al.

By Michael Owells, class of 2003

John Jefferson Scott was born August 31, 1919, the first child of Elisha Scott Sr., and Esther Scott in Topeka.

Scott received his formal education at Topeka High School and the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. After graduation, John decided to follow in his father's footsteps and in 1942 he entered Washburn University Law School. He completed two years when he was called to active duty in World War II. In 1946, John returned to Washburn to complete his law degree. He graduated on June 8, 1947, and joined his father in the family law firm.

John’s father played an important part in determining who John would be and what he would do with his life. Elisha Sr., was educated at the Kansas Technical Institute, an all-black vocational school, which helped propel him into Washburn University's Law School, where he graduated in 1916. He was the only African-American in his graduating class and only the third African-American to graduate from Washburn Law School. Elisha Sr., went on to become one of Topeka's most prominent attorneys. His courtroom flair and extraordinary flamboyance gained him national exposure. Elisha Sr., was known for taking cases that were impossible to win. He used every legal maneuver available to secure an acquittal.

With his brother Charles, John represented plaintiffs in several cases that sought to allow African-Americans access to swimming pools, theaters, and restaurants in Topeka. Infamy came to John in 1954 when he and his brother Charles filed the now-famous Oliver Brown et al v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. case. Although the case was unsuccessful at the District Court level, the U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned it on May 17, 1954. That same year John and his wife, Berdyne, relocated to Washington, D.C. where he took a position at the Department of Interior as assistant solicitor. John worked for the Department of Interior for 30 years and retired in October, 1984. Later that month, on October 24, John J. Scott died of a heart attack. He was 65. In October of 1996, his wife Berdyne spoke at dedication ceremonies for the newly-constructed Scott Magnet School in Topeka.