His father had purchased Gjorslev, Erikstrup and Søholm on Stevns from the Lindencrone family in 1793 after spending 14 years in the service of the Danish Asiatic Company in Bengal.

[2] In June 1837, Scavenius was elected as one of 15 board members of a committee that worked for the creation of the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.

He opposed the idea of a free constitution, arguing in favour of keeping kongeloven in a modified form and describing the king's position in the new constitution as "an automat...[...]...a decorated Puppet which for festive occasions could be displayed in Processions for the amusement of the public".

[2] Scavenius married Charlotte Sophie Meincke (8 December 1811 – 24 June 1872) on 12 May 1837 in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen.

She was a daughter of military prosecutor Carl Henrik Lydius Meincke (1787–1862) and Anna Elisabeth Dorothea Falck (1784–1863).