Oscar D. Skelton

Oscar Douglas Skelton
Born (1878-07-13)July 13, 1878
Orangeville, Ontario
Died January 28, 1941(1941-01-28) (aged 62)
Ottawa, Ontario

Oscar Douglas Skelton (July 13, 1878 – January 28, 1941) was a Canadian professor, author, civil servant, and politician.

Oscar gained a scholarship to Queen's University in 1896 and studied classics (Latin and Greek). In 1899 he earned a Master of Arts and audited classes of Adam Shortt, a political scientist. He worked in Philadelphia for The Booklover's Magazine and in 1904 married Isabel Murphy. He then took up the study of political economy at University of Chicago and followed the lectures of Thorstein Veblen, whom he admired for his "stock of science and of philosopy & of first hand knowledge of business affairs." Skelton kept in touch with Shortt at his alma mater and was offered work there in 1907. Skelton earned his doctorate in political economy from the University of Chicago in 1908. He taught at Queen's University until 1925, where he also served in the university's administration. Skelton served as Chair of the University's board of trustees.

He was the author of two books in the Chronicles of Canada series: The Day of Sir Wilfrid Laurier: A Chronicle of Our Own Times and The Railway Builders: A Chronicle of Overland Highways. He later became undersecretary of state for Foreign Affairs, replacing an aging Joseph Pope in 1925. He became one of Mackenzie King's most trusted advisors during the inter-war era. King's choice of Skelton to succeed Sir Joseph Pope as Under Secretary of State for Canada was influenced in part by an address which Skelton gave to the Canadian Club in Ottawa in 1922. He served for more than 15 years in this capacity.[1]

Skelton served as a member of the 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories until his death in 1941. His death, coming in the midst of wartime, hit Prime Minister King very hard; the two, who shared similar educational backgrounds, had been close. Historian John English, in his biography of Lester Pearson, wrote that Skelton played the major role in the building of Canada's External Affairs department.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "About the O.D. Skelton Memorial Lecture Series", DFAIT webpage
  2. ↑ Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson, volume 1, by John English.

External links


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