Calvin L. Skinner, Jr. is an American politician who served two tenures as a Republican member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

from 1973 to 1981 and again from 1993 to 2001.

Early life

Skinner was born in

Easton, Maryland Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,101 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 17,342 in 2022. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary ...

on June 11, 1942. During his childhood, he moved to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and attended Crystal Lake High School. He then attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

and the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a

master of public administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

. He accepted a job with the United States Bureau of the Budget. In 1966, at age 23, he returned to McHenry County and was elected county treasurer. During his time as Treasurer he became a Certified Illinois Assessing Officer.

Political career

Skinner was first elected to the

as one of three members from the 33rd district with Republican R. Bruce Waddell and Democrat Thomas J. Hanahan. Skinner was an opponent of the Regional Transportation Authority citing the limited services provided to exurban residents and the risk to local autonomy. He did sit on the R.T.A. Legislative Advisory Committee. He left the legislature in 1981 and was succeeded by Republican Jill Zwick. He later served another tenure in the Illinois House from the 64th district from 1993 to 2001. He was the

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

nominee for

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

with running mate

Jim Tobin James Anthony Tobin (December 27, 1912 – May 19, 1969), known as "Abba Dabba", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/Braves and Detroit Tigers from 1937 to 1945. With the Bo ...

. They received 73,794 votes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Calvin 1942 births Living people People from Easton, Maryland Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Illinois Libertarians University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy alumni 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly