Jessie Rae Scott


Jessie Rae Scott was the First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973 and the widow of former North Carolina Governor Robert W. Scott.
Scott unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for North Carolina Labor Commissioner in 1976 and served as the state coordinator for the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign. She also acted as the chief lobbyist for North Carolina's Equal Rights Amendment for women.

Biography

Early life

Scott was born Jessie Rae Osborne in Swepsonville, North Carolina, to Albert and Rosa Lee Osbourne. She received a bachelor's degree from Greensboro Women's College, which is now part of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Scott married her husband, Robert W. Scott, in 1951. The two had met in third grade and began dating in high school.

First Lady

Scott served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973.

Later life

In 1982, Scott became the chairwoman of the North Carolina chapter of the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society honored her with its Sword of Hope award that same year and granted her honorary life membership in the organization in 1995.
Jessie Rae Scott died at the Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham, North Carolina, on December 26, 2010, at the age of 81. She had been hospitalized since July 2010 due to complications from a fall. Her funeral was held at the Hawfields Presbyterian Church in Mebane, North Carolina.