Sir Paul Scoon, GCMG

Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

, GCVO

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

, OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 4 July 1935) was Governor General of Grenada

Grenada

Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...

 for 14 years, from 1978 to 1992.

Biography

Sir Paul was born on 4 July 1935 in Gouyave

Gouyave

Gouyave is the third-largest fishing town in Grenada Gouyave is the third-largest fishing town in Grenada Gouyave is the third-largest fishing town in Grenada (behind the capital, St. George's, with a population of 4,378. It is located on the west coast of the Grenada and is the capital of the...

, a town on the west coast of Grenada. He attended St. John's Anglican School and then the Grenada Boys' Secondary School

Grenada Boys' Secondary School

-Origins:The Grenada Boys’ Secondary School , initially known as the St. George’s Grammar School was scheduled to commence officially in January 1885; however, because of “unforeseen circumstances” it was not officially opened until Monday, February 02, 1885 at “Mrs...

. Scoon then received an external degree from the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

 before going on to study at the University of Leeds

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and gaining an M.Ed. at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He returned to Grenada to teach at the Grenada Boys' Secondary School

Grenada Boys' Secondary School

-Origins:The Grenada Boys’ Secondary School , initially known as the St. George’s Grammar School was scheduled to commence officially in January 1885; however, because of “unforeseen circumstances” it was not officially opened until Monday, February 02, 1885 at “Mrs...

. 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 and in 1973 he returned to London to fill the post of Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation

Commonwealth Foundation

The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation that was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1965, the same year as its sister organisation, the Commonwealth Secretariat...

. In 1978 he was appointed Governor General of Grenada by Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

.

In 1979 the New Jewel Movement

New Jewel Movement

The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement, was a Marxist-Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada...

 overthrew Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy

Eric Gairy

Sir Eric Matthew Gairy was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from Grenada`s independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979...

. This movement was led by Maurice Bishop

Maurice Bishop

Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian politician and revolutionary who seized power in a coup in 1979 from Eric Gairy and served as Prime Minister of the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada until 1983, when he was overthrown in another coup by Bernard Coard, a member of his own...

 and his former pupils, Bernard Coard

Bernard Coard

Winston Bernard Coard was Grenadian Deputy Prime Minister in the People's Revolutionary Government of the New Jewel Movement, who placed Maurice Bishop under house arrest and took control of the government on 14 October 1983....

 and Hudson Austin

Hudson Austin

Hudson Austin is a former general in thePeople's Revolutionary Army of Grenada. After the killing of Maurice Bishop, he formed a military government with himself as chairman to rule Grenada.-History:...

.

Initially arrested by the new government, Scoon was soon released and Bishop and Scoon managed to maintain a semi-normal working relationship, despite the fact that Scoon strongly opposed Bishop's Provisional Revolutionary Government. Bishop agreed to retain Grenada's status as a constitutional monarchy

Constitutional monarchy

Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...

 and the symbolic position of the governor general. 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 developed a cordial relationship with Bishop, playing tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 with him and maintaining his reputation for discretion.

When Bishop was in turn deposed and killed in a counter-coup in 1983, Scoon was once again imprisoned, this time by Dr Bernard Coard.

Operation Urgent Fury was launched by US forces in 1983 and deposed the radical elements which had assumed control of the Government. Prior to the invasion Scoon communicated with the leaders of several other Caribbean nations, who had been encouraging the US to invade Grenada and depose Coard. Endorsing the move, Scoon also communicated with the British and American governments, though he was later criticized for having insufficient communication with the Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

 administration in London, and Queen Elizabeth II, Grenada's head of state.

When the invasion occurred, one of the first steps was to free Scoon. This highly risky task was assigned to the US Navy SEALs. A three-day siege was launched against the governor general's residence, where Scoon had been placed under house arrest

House arrest

In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...

. Scoon and his family were eventually liberated, and the American and Caribbean governments immediately recognized him as Grenada's only legal ruler.

Though constitutionally able to assume full power during this leadership vacuum, Scoon instead used his authority to appoint Nicholas Brathwaite

Nicholas Brathwaite

Sir Nicholas Alexander Brathwaite was the prime minister of Grenada from 1983 to 1984 and from 1990 to 1995.Brathwaite was born in Carriacou, Grenada. Following the 1983 invasion of Grenada, Brathwaite, a member of the National Democratic Congress, was appointed by Governor-General Sir Paul Scoon...

 as acting head of government

Head of government

Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

 until post-invasion elections could be held. Scoon retired from his post in 1992.

Scoon published a book entitled Survival for Service that provides a personal account of his experiences as Governor General of Grenada

Grenada

Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...

. The accuracy of some of this book has been questioned by Richard Hart and Jeremy Taylor.