Keith Dexter Skelton (May 6, 1918 – October 23, 1994) was an American attorney, soldier and politician. He served in the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...

and as a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

B-17 pilot. As a pilot, he flew over fifty missions in the war against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He received his BS from

Edinboro University Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro (abbreviated as PennWest Edinboro) is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The campus had an enrollment of 2,259 as of fall 2024. History PennWest Edinboro was foun ...

, his MS from

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 ...

and his JD from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. He served seven terms in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

, from 1957 to 1973, first from Lane County, then from

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

. He was also an attorney, was on the faculty of two state universities, and served on the Board of Directors of

Portland Community College Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colu ...

from 1987 onward. He had been chair of Governor

Tom McCall Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon, serving as the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A progressive Republican, he was known as a staunch environme ...

's Task Force on Transportation. Skelton was born on a farm near Cambridge Springs,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He had two daughters, Carol and Anne, and two sons, Keith and Thomas. In 1968 he married fellow legislator and future

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

judge Betty Roberts. Skelton died on October 23, 1994."Department: In Memoriam", ''The Oregon State Bar Bulletin'', December 1995, Vol. 56, p. 54.

Writings

* "Legislative Interim Committees Created by Resolution," ''Oregon Law Review'', XXXVIII (February 1959), pp. 97–121

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skelton, Keith 1918 births 1995 deaths People from Crawford County, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives University of Oregon faculty Portland State University faculty University of Washington School of Law alumni University of Michigan alumni Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro alumni Lawyers from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American lawyers Roberts family (Oregon) 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly