# Charles Rufus Skinner: Biographical Profile and Family Connection to Mexico, NY

**Birth/Death:** August 4, 1844 – June 30, 1928
**Birthplace:** Union Square, Town of Mexico, Oswego County, New York
**Death Location:** Pelham Manor, New York (pneumonia; ashes interred at Brookside Cemetery, Watertown, NY)

## Career Overview

### Newspaper Industry
- **Editor, Watertown Daily Times:** 1870–1874
- **Owner/Partner:** Purchased third interest in Watertown Daily Times and Reformer (associates: Lotus Ingalls, Beman Brockway)
- **Editor, Watertown Daily Republican:** 1885–1886
- **City Editor, Watertown Daily Times:** 1886

### Political Career
- **New York State Assembly Member** (Jefferson Co., 1st District): 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881
- **U.S. Representative:** Elected to 47th U.S. Congress to fill vacancy caused by Warner Miller's election to U.S. Senate; re-elected for subsequent terms
- **State Superintendent of Public Instruction:** 1895–1904
- **National Education Association President:** 1897

## Significance for Skinner Family Research

- **Direct Mexico, NY Connection:** Born in Town of Mexico, establishing family presence in the area during the mid-19th century
- **Newspaper Legacy:** Significant involvement with Watertown publications, connected to Mexico Independent newspaper ecosystem of Northern New York
- **Timeline Context:** Active during 1870s–1880s when documented Skinner family real estate holdings appear in Mexico Independent (Railroad Street property reference from 1899)
- **Public Prominence:** High-profile political and educational leadership suggests family prominence in regional affairs
- **Death Year Significance:** Died in 1928, same year as referenced family memorial documentation in newspaper archives

## Research Sources

- Wikipedia: Charles R. Skinner
- Access Genealogy: Biography of Charles Rufus Skinner
- U.S. House of Representatives Historical Archives
- Congressional Biographical Directory
- Universalist Memory Garden Archives

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**Captured:** 2026-03-30
**Status:** Web research compilation
**Format:** Markdown source capture
**Relevance to 5707 Scenic Ave Property:** Establishes genealogical and historical context for Skinner family prominence in Mexico, NY and property holdings in the region