Robert Scot
| Robert Scot | |
|---|---|
| Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint | |
|
In office November 23, 1793 – November 3, 1823 |
|
| President |
George Washington John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe |
| Succeeded by | William Kneass |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1745 The Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 1823 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Eunice Beal Scot |
| Children | Lucretia, Harriot, Sophia, Robert, Jr., Charlotte |
| Occupation | Engraver |
Robert Scot (October 2, 1745 – November 3, 1823) was Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1793 until his death in 1823. He was succeeded by William Kneass. Scot designed the popular and rare Flowing Hair dollar coinage along with the Liberty Cap half cent. Scot is perhaps best known for his design, the Draped Bust, which was used on many silver and copper coins. Robert Scot was the most prolific engraver of early American patriotic iconography, with symbols and images depicting rebellion, unity, victory, and liberty throughout his career in America.
Scot was born on October 2, 1745 in Canongate, Scotland, and was baptized on October 8, 1745. He learned watchmaking, and also was trained as a line engraver by Richard Cooper, Sr. at the Trustees Academy, with classes at the University of Edinburgh.
Robert Scot moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1775. He began engraving plates for Virginia currency in 1775, first using the Arms of Britain. After the landmark Fifth Virginia Convention of May, 1776, Scot engraved Virginia currency with the radical Virginia Seal design, which depicted the overthrow of tyranny. In 1778 Scot engraved Virginia currency with the motto Sic Semper Tyrannis meaning "Thus Always to Tyrants." Scot moved from Fredericksburg to the new Virginia Capitol of Richmond in 1780, as Engraver to the State of Virginia. Under the direction of Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson in 1780, Robert Scot engraved the Virginia Happy While United medals as gifts to Native American Indian Chiefs. The medals utilized Benjamin Franklin's motto "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God," along with Scot's 1778 revised Virginia Seal design. On January 4, 1781, Richmond was burned and destroyed by British troops under the command of General Benedict Arnold, who became an American traitor after defecting to the British Army in 1780. After the burning of Richmond, Scot planned his move to Philadelphia in the spring of 1781.
Scot announced his arrival in Philadelphia with newspaper advertisements in May of 1781, listing his engraving shop at the corner of Vine and Front Streets. He began engraving for Robert Morris, then Superintendent of the Office of Finance of the United States, in July of 1781. The paper money that Scot engraved for Morris helped to finance the Siege of Yorktown, the decisive battle of the American Revolution. Shortly after that battle, Major Sebastian Bauman commissioned Robert Scot to engrave a map that illustrated the American victory, titled "Investment of York and Gloucester," a magnificent work with elaborate artistry and a factual description of the battle. Scot would continue to engrave for American officers, for the Society of the Cincinnati, and for an accurate 1784 map of United States for Captain William McMurray, based on the 1783 Treaty of Paris. As a Freemason, Robert Scot engraved the frontispiece for Ahiman Rezon, dedicated to General George Washington, for the Grand Lodge of Philadelphia. Scot also reproduced Charles Willson Peale's 1772 portrait of George Washington as an authorized drawing and line engraving, while visiting at Mount Vernon.
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