Scott Brown is the new Senator from Massachusetts. His father and his grandfather were active Republicans. His father has said that young Scott became interested in running for political office in the mid 1960s while accompanying him on a campaign for state office; Scott Brown recalls holding campaign signs for his father.
Brown has said that he "didn't grow up with all the advantages in life" and that his working mother needed welfare benefits for a short time. During various periods of his childhood, Brown also lived with his grandparents and his aunt. Brown has stated that at the age of twelve he was brought before Judge Samuel Zoll in Salem, Massachusetts for shoplifting record albums.
Zoll asked Brown if his siblings would like seeing him play basketball in jail, and required him to write a 1500 word essay on the topic as his punishment. Brown said, "That was the last time I ever stole, the last time I ever thought about stealing... The other day I was at Staples, and something was in my cart that I didn’t pay for. I had to bring it back because.... I thought of Judge Zoll."
