Scott A. Ferguson was born in Shakopee, Minnesota. His father worked in commercial radio, which led the family to relocate around Southern Minnesota and Iowa until his father secured a job with the Voice of America in Washington, D.C. The family subsequently moved to Virginia, where Scott graduated from high school. In 1976, Scott commenced his career with the U.S. Secret Service. During his tenure there, he met his future wife, and they married in 1983. Over the course of more than 40 years, they raised two remarkable boys in Southern Maryland.