declared war. He served for more than 15 years in this capacity. Skelton was described by one historian as the most powerful civil servant in Canada of his time. Skelton served as a member of the 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories until his death on January 28, 1941, in Ottawa. His death, coming in the midst of wartime, hit King very hard; the two, who shared similar educational backgrounds, had been close. Historian John English, in his biography of Lester B. Pearson, wrote that Skelton played the major role in the building of Canada's external affairs department. Works Socialism: A Critical Analysis, (1911) Economic History Of Canada Since Confederation, (1913) The Day Of Sir Wilfrid Laurier: A Chronicle Of Our Own Times, (1916) The Railway/Railroad Builders: A Chronicle Of Overland Highways, (1916) The Life And Times Of Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, (1920) The Canadian Dominion: A Chronicle Of Our Northern Neighbor, (1920) Life And Letters Of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, (1921) Our Generation, Its Gains And Losses, (1938) Source: References Further reading External links Oscar Douglas Skelton at The Canadian Encyclopedia O.D. Skelton: The Work of the World 1923-1941 By Norman Hillmer 1878 births 1941 deaths 20th-century Canadian civil servants Canadian economists 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories People from Orangeville, Ontario Queen's University at Kingston alumni Queen's University at Kingston faculty University of Chicago alumni Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Canadian people of World War II Presidents of the Canadian Political Science Association