Llewellyn Scott

Born in 1892 in Washington, Scott was raised as a Baptist and suffered from rickets as a child, causing him to be temporarily unable to walk until the age of 10.^[4] He was nursed to health by former Army Surgeon General John Moore and his wife Mary Jane.^[1] Scott recovered and was enrolled in a Catholic school with the help of the Moores and soon converted to the faith himself at St. Augustine Church, with Mary Jane as his Confirmation sponsor.^[1][5]

Scott served in France during World War I and graduated from Howard University at the age of 25. He later worked as a teacher in North Carolina and Washington before being hired by the United States Department of Defense.^[6]

Scott founded the St. Martin de Porres Hospice in 1935 after meeting Catholic Worker Movement co-founder Dorothy Day and realizing the need to serve the poor with a refreshed perspective.^[7][5] The house was first purchased on I Street in the Swampoodle section of Northeast D.C. with a donation from Day, and later relocated to 12th Street.^[1][8][5] He was the first African American to start a Catholic Worker House.^[2] The operation later expanded to three locations and at one point caught the attention of a teenaged Cyprian Davis.^[9][10][11] Scott is estimated to have served more than 10,000 men with his services, which included food and temporary housing.^[12][13] He received regular financial support from the Archbishop of Washington.^[6]

Scott led the Washington chapter of the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice and met three popes during his ministry.^[1][14] He was active in the Civil rights movement and marched with Martin Luther King Jr. shortly before his assassination.^[6][15][16] He received the Poverello Medal from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1954 and was honored by Howard University for outstanding postgraduate achievement in 1956.^[17] He appeared on This Is Your Life in 1955.^[12] He received an award for his work from Pope John XXIII in 1959. He received an outstanding achievement award from the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations in 1961.^[1]

Scott retired from the Department of Defense in 1960 and the St. Martin de Porres Hospice closed in 1967. Scott died from leukemia in 1978 at the age of 86.^[1]

Scott was a devout Catholic, attending daily Mass, and supported his mother and a disabled sister with his part-time salary from the government. He never married.^[1][13] He was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis and was close to the TOR Franciscans of Steubenville, Ohio.^[3]

The Llewellyn Scott House was founded by Catholic Worker Michael Kirwan in Washington in Scott's honor in the late 20th century.^[18][19] In 2009, he was honored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a chronology for the 25th anniversary of the pastoral letter against racism, "Brothers and Sisters to Us".^[20]