| Authorised form of name | Scott; Sir; Peter Markham (1909 - 1989) |
| Dates | 1909 - 1989 |
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Date of birth | 14/09/1909 |
| Date of death | 29/08/1989 |
| Occupation | Environmentalist; Artist; Broadcaster |
| Research field | Ornithology |
| Conservation |
| Activity | Education:
Oundle School; Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1930); State Academy of Arts, Munich (to 1931); Royal Academy School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1931-1933)
Career:
Entered Cambridge to read Natural Sciences, but took degree in History of Art and Botany; studied wildfowl, especially in Norfolk; first book was 'Morning flight' (published 1935); Olympic bronze medal, single-handed sailing (1936) and won Prince of Wales Cup (1937 and 1938); entered Royal Navy, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander (World War II); awarded DSC (1943); founded the Severn Wildfowl Trust (now Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust), Slimbridge, Gloucestershire (1946); co-founder, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and was its first Chairman (1961-1982); won the National Open Gliding Championship (1963); participated in America's Cup (1964); Chairman, WWF British National Appeal; Chairman, Survival Services Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (1962-1981); invented Red Data Books for information on endangered species; Director, Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau Ltd (1961-1977); travelled to the Antarctic 5 times; began broadcasting (1940s); involved in the development of the BBC Natural History Unit, Bristol; provided commentaries for Anglia TV's 'Survival' (from 1971); Director, Survial Anglia Ltd; first person to be knighted for services to conservation. Chancellor, University of Birmingham (1974-1983)
Honours:
CBE 1953; Kt 1973; CH 1987
Memberships:
Fauna and Flora Preservation Society (President, 1981-1989) |
| Membership category | Statute 12 |
| Date of election | 25/06/1987 |
| Age at election | 77 |
| Relationships | Son of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his wife Kathleen Bruce (she remarried (1922) Edward Hilton Young, sculptor, and became Lady Kennet).
Married: 1) (1942) Elizabeth Jane Howard, novelist (divorced); 2) (1951) Philippa Talbot Ponsonby, later Lady Scott |
| Source | References:
Anne Purkiss 'Scientists 1985 - 2010; Portraits of Fellows of the Royal Society' 2010, p. 53
AssocMaterial:
Deposited at Cambridge University Library - NCUACS 87/8/99; NCUACS 162/05/08; NCUACS 166/9/08; |
| Code | NA6607 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1987/47 | Scott, Sir Peter Markham: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1987 |
| IM/004092 | Scott, Sir Peter Markham | nd |
| IM/AKP/0003 | Sir Peter Markham Scott | July 1985 |