Terence Morrison-Scott

Who is Terence Morrison-Scott?

Sir Terence Charles Stuart Morrison-Scott DSC DSc FMA was a British zoologist who was Director of the Science Museum and the British Museum of Natural History in London, England.

Terence Morrison-Scott was educated at Eton College, Christ Church, Oxford, and the Royal College of Science. He rowed at Eton and Oxford, winning the Silver Sculls at Oxford. He graduated from the RCS in 1935 with a first class degree and then worked briefly as an assistant master at Eton.

Morrison-Scott was appointed as an Assistant Keeper in Department of Zoology at the British Museum of Natural History on 1 October 1936. During World War II, he was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and commanded a flotilla of tank landing craft during D-Day in Normandy, earning the Distinguished Service Cross. He was promoted to Assistant Keeper in 1943. He became the Head of the Mammal Section in 1945 and Principal Scientific Officer in 1948. From 1956–1960, he was Director of the Science Museum. Then from 1960 he was Director British Museum of Natural History until his retirement on 30 November 1968.

He was Honorary Treasurer of the Zoological Society of London. He was a Trustee of the Imperial War Museum, He was a governor of the Imperial College of Science and Technology and was elected a Fellow in 1963. He was a Council member of the National Trust and a member of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries. He was a Fellow of the Museums Association and was knighted for his services.