Charles Sheldon Scott was born 15 April 1921 in Topeka, Kansas to Elisha and Esther (Van Dyne) Scott. Scott attended the Topeka public schools and graduated from Topeka High School. He served with the 2nd Cavalry Division and the Red Ball Express Transportation Unit of the United States Army during World War II.

After returning to Kansas, Scott graduated from Washburn University with a Bachelor of Law degree in 1948 and a Juris Doctorate in 1970. After earning his Bachelor's degree, Scott joined his father's law firm. He worked for integration of elementary schools in South Park, Johnson County, Kansas and for access to Topeka theatres, restaurants, and pools.

In 1954, Scott was one of the attorneys appearing for the plaintiffs in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case. During the mid-1960s, Scott worked as a voluntary lawyer with the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee traveling to Mississippi to aid civil rights workers; he also served as a national legal counsel for the Congress of Racial Equality (Core). Scott additionally served as a staff attorney and hearing examiner for the Kansas Civil Rights Commission.

Beyond practicing the law, Scott taught part time at both the University of Kansas (from 1970-1971 in the Political Science Department) and Kansas State University (in 1971 in the Community and Urban Planning Department). Scott was highly active in multiple organizations. He was a longtime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), serving for many years as chair of the Topeka Branch's Legal Redress Committee; he was also founder and chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the Black Community. Scott was an active member of many other organizations, including Asbury Mt. Olive United Methodist Church, the Elks (Lodge No. 1441), and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Charles S. Scott married Louise Crawford on 7 February 1947. The couple had two children, Charles Jr. and Debra Louise. Charles S. Scott, Sr. died March 3, 1989.