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O.D. Skelton: A Portrait of Canadian Ambition

By (author) Norman Hillmer

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When O.D. Skelton became Prime Minister Mackenzie Kingâ€™s foreign policy advisor in 1923, he was already a celebrated critic of the status quo in international and domestic affairs, a loyal Liberal Party man, and a fervent nationalist who believed Canada needed to steer a path independent of Britain. Two years later, he became the permanent head of Canadaâ€™s Department of External Affairs. Between then and his tragic death in 1941, Skelton created Canadaâ€™s professional diplomatic service, staffing it with sharp young men such as Lester B. Pearson. Skeltonâ€™s importance in Ottawa was unparalleled, and his role in shaping Canadaâ€™s world was formative and crucial. Using research from archives across Canada and around the world, Norman Hillmer presents Skelton not only as a towering intellectual force but as deeply human â€“ deceptively quiet, complex, and driven by an outsize ambition for himself and for his country. O.D. Skelton is the definitive biography of the most influential public servant in Canadaâ€™s history, written by one of the most prolific Canadian historians of international affairs and the editor of Skeltonâ€™s voluminous papers.