[2] His father was the eldest of nine children born to Captain John Scott (1678–1740), who emigrated to New York City, where he received the rights of citizenship in 1702.

[4] After graduation from Yale and further study, he was admitted to the New York bar association in 1752 and practiced law in Manhattan, where he also served as an alderman from 1756 to 1761.

He fought with Putnam's division at the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27, 1776, and was the last of Washington's generals to argue against surrendering Manhattan to the British—possibly due to his large landholdings there, including what is now Times Square and New York City's Theater District.

[4] Twenty days later, on September 16, 1776, Scott led the same battalions and regiments at the Battle of Harlem Heights, an American victory.

After the war, Scott regained his Manhattan estate and, in 1777, was a candidate for the first governorship of New York State, losing to George Clinton.