Henry Hepburne-Scott, 10th Lord Polwarth

Henry Alexander Hepburne-Scott, 10th Lord Polwarth
Born	1916-11-17 Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	2005-01-04
Occupation(s)	Chartered accountant, corporate leader, politician
Known for	Minister of State for Scotland (1972–1974), Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen (1966–1986), Governor of the Bank of Scotland (1968–1972)

Henry Alexander Hepburne-Scott, 10th Lord Polwarth (17 November 1916 – 4 January 2005) was a distinguished Scottish chartered accountant, corporate leader, and Conservative Party politician.

As the eldest child of the Hon. Walter Thomas Hepburne-Scott, Master of Polwarth, and grandson to Walter Hepburn-Scott, 9th Lord Polwarth, he inherited a notable lineage. His education was completed at Eton College followed by King's College, Cambridge. During the Second World War, he held the rank of Captain in the Lothians and Border Horse regiment and acted as Aide-de-Camp to Major-Generals Percy Hobart and Brian Horrocks. After the passing of his father in 1942, he succeeded to the lordship in 1944 upon his grandfather's death. In 1945, he was chosen as a Scottish representative peer.

Between 1950 and 1968, Polwarth was a partner at Cheine & Tait, a firm of chartered accountants. His corporate governance roles included serving as Director of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) from 1969 to 1972 and again from 1974 until 1981. He led the Scottish Council for Development and Industry as Chairman from 1956 to 1966 and subsequently as President until 1972. Additionally, he chaired the General Accident Insurance Group between 1968 and 1972. His involvement with the Bank of Scotland spanned from 1950 to 1971 and resumed from 1974 to 1981; during this period, he also held the position of Governor from 1968 to 1972.

In Edward Heath's Conservative administration, Polwarth was appointed Minister of State for Scotland in 1972, serving until the government's term ended in 1974. Post-ministerial appointments included directorships at Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (1975–84), Canadian Pacific Railway (1975–86), and Halliburton Company (1974–87). He contributed to parliamentary oversight as a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Overseas Trade between 1984 and 1985 but lost his seat following reforms introduced by the House of Lords Act of 1999. From 1966 until 1986, he fulfilled the role of Chancellor at the University of Aberdeen.

Polwarth was honored with an honorary doctorate by Heriot-Watt University in 1968.

In his personal life, he married Caroline Margaret Hay in 1943; they had four children—one son and three daughters—before their divorce in 1969. Later that year, he wed Jean Cunninghame Graham. Lord Polwarth passed away in January 2005 at age eighty-eight and was succeeded by his son Andrew.