He was educated at the nearby village of Chardstock, and then at St Thomas' Hospital in Lambeth, London, becoming a physician in 1873.

He migrated to Western Australia on 27 March 1875 aboard Eulie[2] and practised medicine at Greenough, Guildford and Perth, becoming a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1879.

In 1886, Scott was appointed a Justice of the Peace, and on 15 June 1886, he won Perth in a by-election, serving in that capacity until 21 October 1890.

In December 1891, he completed his term as mayor and resigned his parliamentary seat, which Thomas Molloy won in a by-election on 12 January 1892.

[3] One of his sons, Frank Sholl Scott, practised medicine in Cornwall and represented England at rugby union in 1907.