He was born on July 25, 1874, in
Garrison, New York, the son of Thomas Skene and Marry (Parry) Skene. He graduated from
New York University. He was
New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1907 to 1908, elected on the
Democratic Party/
Independence League fusion ticket in
1906. During and after his tenure, suspicions of
graft and fraudulent contracts for roadworks came up. In 1910, he was indicted on 17 counts of
grand larceny in office. At his trial for one of the indictments he was defended by
William Travers Jerome. Skene was acquitted by the jury, and his accuser Charles H. O'Neil, who had been his Confidential Assistant, was arrested on charges of
perjury. The other 16 indictments were quashed in 1912. He was dean of the school of technology of
City College of New York until January 1940 when he retired. == Boats ==