New Canadian Encyclopedia Article: Oscar Douglas Skelton

My new article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Oscar Douglas Skelton, author, professor, civil servant and head of the Department of External Affairs from 1925 to 1941 (born 13 July 1878 in Orangeville, Ontario; died 28 January 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario). Skelton advised prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King, Arthur Meighen and R.B. Bennett to develop an independent foreign policy that favoured Canadian interests over Canada’s long-standing relationship with the United Kingdom. Skelton also developed the modern Department of External Affairs (now Global Affairs Canada) in the aftermath of the 1931 Statute of Westminster and set key precedents that shape Canadian foreign policy to the present day.

Click here to read my article about Oscar Douglas Skelton in the Canadian Encyclopedia