Scott was born in Earlston, Berwickshire, Scotland[2] or Gattonside, Melrose.
[1][3] Accounts of some of his explorations appear in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tasmania for the years 1872 and 1875.
[1] Scott represented the district of Selby in the House of Assembly from October 1866 to November 1872.
[1] On accepting office as Colonial Secretary in the Frederick Innes Ministry on 4 November 1872, he resigned his seat in the Assembly, and was elected to the Legislative Council for the Electoral division of South Esk.
He held the office of Colonial Secretary until the retirement of the Innes Ministry on 4 August 1873.