U.S. Rep. David Scott to lie in state Friday at the Georgia Capitol

Georgia Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott will lie in state in the Georgia State Capitol rotunda on Friday after dying last week, according to an executive order issued Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Scott, 80, was the first Black man to chair the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and served 51 years in elected office. He was running for a 13th term in Congress when he died Wednesday in his Washington, D.C., apartment.

Scott died of natural causes, according to his staff. Funeral details will be released Tuesday.

Details on a public viewing at the Capitol have not yet been released. Scott served in the General Assembly from 1975 to 2003, first in the state House, then in the state Senate.

Scott’s death will require a special election to fill the remainder of his term that ends on Jan. 3, 2027. Kemp has yet to issue a call for a special election, but that should come within days.

A separate May 19 primary and November general election will decide who will be elected to a full two-year term beginning next year.