Biography

Joseph Scott (1859-1908)

Originally from county Donegal in Ireland, New Zealand’s champion athlete, Joe Scott was taken by his parents to Victoria, Australia when he was two years old and later the family came to Otago.

Alfred Austin, handicapper for the Caledonian Society, noticed Joe racing with other boys in the street and decided to train him as a competitive walker. Aged 14 in 1874, Joseph celebrated the first of many sporting victories when he defeated reigning two mile N.Z. champion, J. Spence. He later became both New Zealand and Australian champion and after a series of competitions in England was declared world champion.

Joe received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Dunedin. He settled into family life working as a boot maker. Although he won considerable prize money he was never wealthy, most of his prize earnings probably being claimed by his managers.

In 1881, Scott married Isabella Rachel Jarvis who gave him five daughters and two sons.

Joseph Scott kept in training all his life and was reported to walk to Waitati and back each morning before breakfast. He contracted terminal cancer of the throat which was caused, some said, by holding the boot nails in his mouth as he worked.