Like his counterpart John Work Garrett of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Scott never recovered from the 1877 strike.
 Scott's crucial business partner, John Edgar Thomson, had died in 1874.
Scott suffered a stroke in 1878, limiting his ability to work.
He died on May 21, 1881, and was buried at Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.

The railroad-based economy of the United States was overtaken by the oil boom.
Scott's protege Andrew Carnegie later challenged the Rockefeller monopoly in petroleum from his dominance of the steel industry.
Just as the economy of railroads gave way to that of oil, oil in turn would face the emerging dominance of steel.
During the American Civil War, the Union named a steam transport Thomas A. Scott to honor Scott.
Ironically, Dr. Samuel Mudd, who had assisted President Lincoln's assassins, used it during his attempted escape from Fort Jefferson, Florida.

Interested in education and health, Scott endowed certain positions at the University of Pennsylvania.
His widow also made a variety of endowments in his name at the University of Pennsylvania, including:
Thomas A. Scott Fellowship in Hygiene
Thomas A. Scott Professorship of Mathematics
University Hospital: endowed beds for patients with chronic diseases.
Like his counterpart John Work Garrett of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Scott never recovered from the 1877 strike.  Scott's crucial business partner, John Edgar Thomson, had died in 1874. Scott suffered a stroke in 1878, limiting his ability to work. He died on May 21, 1881, and was buried at Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.
The railroad-based economy of the United States was overtaken by the oil boom. Scott's protege Andrew Carnegie later challenged the Rockefeller monopoly in petroleum from his dominance of the steel industry. Just as the economy of railroads gave way to that of oil, oil in turn would face the emerging dominance of steel. During the American Civil War, the Union named a steam transport Thomas A. Scott to honor Scott. Ironically, Dr. Samuel Mudd, who had assisted President Lincoln's assassins, used it during his attempted escape from Fort Jefferson, Florida.
Interested in education and health, Scott endowed certain positions at the University of Pennsylvania. His widow also made a variety of endowments in his name at the University of Pennsylvania, including:
Thomas A. Scott Fellowship in Hygiene
Thomas A. Scott Professorship of Mathematics
University Hospital: endowed beds for patients with chronic diseases.
Thomas A. Scott