Jim Scott was born February 6, 1887 in Australia. His family soon moved to Scotland, and Scott came to the United States in 1907. He began working in the newspaper industry, in cities such as Pittsburgh and Akron. Scott's struggles with alcoholism caused significant problems in both his professional and personal life, causing him to journey across the country from one job to another throughout much of the 1920s and 1930s. Upon returning to Akron (where he had previously been a reporter and editor for Goodyear Tire's Wingfoot Clan ), Scott became involved with Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization that had a profound impact on the rest of his life. In the early 1940s he operated the Middlebury Book Shop in Akron, and during World War II served on the Summit County War Finance Committee. Scott became the chief librarian for the Akron Beacon Journal in 1947, a position he held until his death on May 24, 1950.
From the guide to the Jim Scott papers, 1938-1985, 1940-1947, (Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.)
