Sir Henry Maurice Scott (23 July 1910 – 5 June 1976) was a

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

an lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Council between 1947 and 1966, serving as Speaker between 1958 and 1966.

Biography

Born in 1910, Scott was the son of Nellie and

Henry Milne Scott Sir Henry Milne Scott (10 April 1876 – 20 May 1956) was a Fijian lawyer, businessman, politician and international cricketer. Alongside Robert Crompton, Henry Marks and John Maynard Hedstrom, he was one of the 'big four' that heavily influence ...

, one of Fiji's most prominent lawyers and politicians. After being educated at

Whanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglica ...

in New Zealand and attending

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the st ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, he was called to the bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1936. The following year he set up his own law firm in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

,Sir Maurice Scott: A varied life 'lived with immense zest'
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', August 1976, p68 before joining the family firm Wm. Scott & Co in 1939. During World War II he served in the Fijian Military Forces and No. 208 Squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. He flew Spitfire fighters with the

Desert Air Force The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 ...

, serving in Iraq, Italy, Palestine and the Western Desert and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. When he returned to Fiji after the war, he rejoined his family's legal firm in 1947. He also served on the board and as chairman of several companies, including

Burns Philp Burns Philp (properly Burns, Philp & Co, Limited) was once a major Australian shipping line and merchant that operated in the South Pacific. When the well-populated islands around New Guinea were targeted for blackbirding in the 1880s, a new ...

and the ''

Fiji Times ''The Fiji Times'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by George Littleton Griffiths, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating. ''The Fiji Times'' is owned by Motibhai G ...

'', as well as becoming president of the

Fiji Rugby Union Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Fiji. It is divided into over 30 provincial unions. The Fiji Rugby Union is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA), along with Samoa and Tonga. There are a ...

, a role he held for 21 years. He contested the 1947 elections to the Legislative Council, winning the European Northern and Western seat. He was re-elected unopposed in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

and was awarded a CBE in the

1957 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1957 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. In 1958 he was appointed Speaker of the Council.Fiji Talanoa
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', August 1958, p53 He remained Speaker until 1966, and was knighted in the

1966 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1966 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those co ...

.''Who's who 1968'', p1947 Following a previous marriage that produced two children, Scott married Fenna Gatty, the widow of

Harold Gatty Harold Charles Gatty (5 January 1903 – 30 August 1957) was an Australian navigator and aviation pioneer. Charles Lindbergh called Gatty the "Prince of Navigators."Gywnn-Jones, Terry, ''Harold Gatty, Aviation Navigation Expert'', Aviation Histo ...

. His son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

later served as head of the Fijian Red Cross. He died in June 1976 and was buried at Navualoa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Maurice 1910 births People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford 20th-century Fijian lawyers Rugby union people in Fiji Fijian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Members of the Legislative Council of Fiji 1976 deaths