Dateline: February 26, 2004

Skelton

Long revered as a “good lawyer” and a “great man,” retired Federal Judge George Skelton, age 98, of Temple died early Friday, February 20, 2004, in a Temple hospital.

He was influential not only in Central Texas, but in the nation as well.  Skelton had been a longtime Democratic leader in Texas.  He worked on Lyndon B. Johnson’s Senate campaign in 1948, which sparked a long friendship.  Later in 1966, Johnson, president by then, appointed Skelton as an associate judge of the US Court of Claims.  He was the only federal judge from Bell County.  He retired from active service in May 1977 and retained senior judge status.  He continued as senior judge until he officially retired his judgeship in May 2003.

Mr. Skelton was a native of Groom and finished high school in Clarendon before entering Texas University at Austin.