Sir Paul Godwin Scoon (4 July 1935 – 2 September 2013) was a Grenadian politician who served as
Governor-General of Grenada
The governor-general of Grenada is the vice-regal representative of the Grenadian monarch, currently King Charles III, in Grenada. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Grenada. The fun ...
from 1978 to 1992. His tenure is notable for its hectic events related to the rise and fall of the
People's Revolutionary Government
The People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) was proclaimed on 13 March 1979 after the Marxist–Leninist New Jewel Movement overthrew the government of Grenada in a revolution, making Grenada the only socialist state within the Commonwealth. ...
, as well as his personal involvement and support of the
invasion of Grenada.
Early life
Scoon was born on 4 July 1935 in
Gouyave
Gouyave is the capital and largest town in the parish of St John, Grenada. It is located on the west coast of the Grenada.
History
Originally called Charlotte Town after Queen Charlotte of Britain, it was renamed Gouyave by the French because of ...
, a town on the west coast of Grenada. He attended St. John's Anglican School and then the
Grenada Boys' Secondary School
The Grenada Boys' Secondary School (GBSS) is a secondary school in the island of Grenada.
Origins
The Grenada Boys’ Secondary School, initially known as the St. George's Grammar School officially, opened on 2 February 1885, at Mrs. Grey's prem ...
. Scoon then received an external degree from the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
before going on to study at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, and gaining an M.Ed. at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He returned to Grenada to teach at the
Grenada Boys' Secondary School
The Grenada Boys' Secondary School (GBSS) is a secondary school in the island of Grenada.
Origins
The Grenada Boys’ Secondary School, initially known as the St. George's Grammar School officially, opened on 2 February 1885, at Mrs. Grey's prem ...
. Following a career rising from Chief Education Officer to finally becoming Secretary to the Cabinet, the head of Grenada's Civil Service. He was awarded the
OBE in 1970. That same year, he married Esmai Monica (nee Lumsden) McNeilly, a widow with three children. In 1973 he returned to London to fill the post of Deputy Director of the
Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation (CF) is an intergovernmental organisation that was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1966, a year after its sister organisation, the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Foundation is located at Mar ...
.
Governor-General
In 1978, Scoon was appointed
Governor-General of Grenada
The governor-general of Grenada is the vice-regal representative of the Grenadian monarch, currently King Charles III, in Grenada. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Grenada. The fun ...
by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
, on the advice of the Prime Minister,
Sir Eric Gairy. However, the following year, the
New Jewel Movement
The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop.
Established in 1973, the NJM issued its ...
— led by
Maurice Bishop
Maurice Rupert Bishop (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983) was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – a Marxist–Leninist party which sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education, and black liberation ...
and Scoon's former pupils,
Bernard Coard
Winston Bernard Coard (born 10 August 1945) is a Grenadian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister in the People's Revolutionary Government of the New Jewel Movement. Coard launched a coup within the revolutionary government and took power f ...
and
Hudson Austin — overthrew Gairy in a popularly supported, nearly bloodless coup.
Initially arrested by the militants, Scoon was soon released with an apology. The insurgents wanted to continue Grenada's status as a
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
and retain the position of Governor-General to represent
the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Scoon and Bishop managed to maintain a semi-normal working relationship, despite the fact that Scoon strongly opposed the Marxist-Leninist principles of Bishop's leftist government. The revolutionaries regarded Scoon as a useful figurehead who would smooth international recognition for their new regime and also to facilitate their relations with Canada and the United Kingdom. Scoon was happy to remain in office, providing a degree of stability in the situation, despite irritation at the curtailment of some of his privileges. He played
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
with Bishop and maintained his reputation for discretion.
Role in the U.S. invasion
Bishop was in turn deposed by a counter-coup executed on Oct. 12, 1983, that was orchestrated by
Bernard Coard
Winston Bernard Coard (born 10 August 1945) is a Grenadian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister in the People's Revolutionary Government of the New Jewel Movement. Coard launched a coup within the revolutionary government and took power f ...
, Bishop's erstwhile friend and governing partner. In the course of a continuing power struggle, Bishop and three of his closest ministers were executed on Oct. 19, 1983, by
People's Revolutionary Army soldiers loyal to the Coard faction. A 16-member military council led by
Hudson Austin then declared
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
and asserted iron-fisted control over the fractured nation. Scoon, acting through secret diplomatic channels, asked the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and concerned Caribbean nations to intervene to restore peace and order to the island. The invasion coalition maintained that Scoon was within his rights to do so, acting under the
reserve power
In a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government, a reserve power, also known as discretionary power, is a power that may be exercised by the head of state without the approval of another branch or part of the government. Unlike in ...
s vested in
the Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
. But an independent expert examination later found dubious constitutional basis for Scoon's call for foreign intervention and his assumption of executive and legislative power. On 25 October, the
invasion of Grenada (codenamed Operation Urgent Fury) was launched by a joint U.S.-Caribbean force to depose Austin's rule.
When the invasion occurred, one of the first steps was to free Governor-General Scoon, a task assigned to
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
. A SEAL unit arrived by Blackhawk helicopter under fire and became trapped with Scoon at his official residence in the capital of St. George's. After a day-long encirclement, Scoon, his family and staff, and 22 SEALs were liberated by Marines from the
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. The U.S. and Caribbean governments quickly reaffirmed Scoon as The Queen's only legitimate representative in Grenada — and hence the only lawful authority on the island. On Oct. 27, the text of a letter from Scoon, dated October 24, was publicly released, in which he requested armed intervention. The letter was cited as evidence that the invasion was not a unilateral U.S. act, but a regional police action.
[ After the invasion, though, Scoon was anxious for U.S. forces to leave as soon as possible, stating a ]fortnight
A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights).
Astronomy and tides
In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is h ...
after the intervention that he "cannot see people from abroad coming in to change our minds or souls and hewhole heart of a society" and that "it is important that within the shortest possible time that we should live and work in a situation where security support takes the form of a police operation that will increasingly come under the command of a Grenadian or West Indian commissioner of police."
As per Commonwealth constitutional practice, Scoon became interim head of government and appointed an advisory council, which in turn named Nicholas Brathwaite
Sir Nicholas Alexander Brathwaite OBE (8 July 1925 – 28 October 2016) was the head of government of Grenada for two periods, first as Chairman of the Interim Advisory Council (1983 to 1984) established after the United States invasion of Grena ...
as chairman and interim prime minister until post-invasion elections were held in 1984. Scoon retired from his post in 1992.
Later life
Scoon published a book entitled ''Survival for Service'' that provided a personal account of his experiences as Governor-General. In it, he denied writing the 24 October letter, saying it had been delivered to him in draft form on 26 October, after he was rescued. He did, however, confirm that he had asked for U.S. and Caribbean intervention.[ The accuracy of some of this book has been questioned by Richard Hart.][''Society for Caribbean Studies Newsletter'', No. 53, Autumn 2004.]
Scoon died on 2 September 2013. Although a cause of death was not announced, he had been a diabetic for many years.[
]
References
External links
Biography on the official website of the government of Grenada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scoon, Paul
1935 births
2013 deaths
Alumni of the University of London
Alumni of the University of Leeds
University of Toronto alumni
Governors-General of Grenada
People from Saint John Parish, Grenada
Grenadian expatriates in the United Kingdom
20th-century Grenadian politicians