Prolific Writer and Great Supporter of the Constitution, W. Cleon Skousen, Passes Away
By Paul Skousen

W. Cleon Skousen (1913–2006), prolific supporter of God, family and country, peacefully passed away at his Salt Lake City home on January 9, 2006, of causes incident to age, just 11 days shy of his ninety-third birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family and wife Jewel, with whom he was anticipating their 70th wedding anniversary in August.

Well known across the nation and overseas for his devoted understanding and support of the U.S. Constitution, his love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his insights into politics, religion, good government, and human nature, he leaves behind an exhaustive work of scholarship created over three-quarters of a century that covers dozens of specialties. Among the 46 books he authored are the best sellers, The Naked Communist, The Naked Capitalist, So You Want to Raise a Boy?, The Making of America, The Five Thousand Year Leap, and Fantastic Victory.

His books on religion, such as The First 2,000 Years, Prophecy and Modern Times, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, and Days of the Living Christ, reached millions of readers in the Christian and Jewish communities. His speech entitled "A Personal Search for the Meaning of the Atonement" is perhaps the most widely distributed audio tape among members and missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — a fact that made him smile in astonishment when missionaries reported that they had heard or read the speech translated into Russian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Tongan, and French, and that it could be found on every continent where missionaries serve.

Skousen served 16 years in J. Edgar Hoover's FBI as a Special Agent, an assistant to Mr. Hoover, and Director of Communications during the waning years of the gangster era and WWII. He was also the editor of the nation's leading police magazine, Law And Order. He was Alumni Director and a very popular teacher of several thousand students at Brigham Young University, where he taught for 16 years. Skousen was also a popular speaker throughout the nation and in many other countries where he sometimes gave more than 500 speeches a year.

Known for his devotion to principle and integrity, he served four years as Salt Lake City's chief of police and created what Time Magazine called, "a model police force."

His devotion to America's founding fathers and the Constitution led to the creation of The Freemen Institute that later became the National Center for Constitutional Studies, an organization through which his speeches and writings educated and united large segments of voters to elect senators, congressmen, governors and presidents who loved the Constitution.

Warmly embraced with the friendly designation as "a living national treasure," Skousen and his wife maintained a modest home in Salt Lake City that became a mandatory stopover for any person with political aspirations, both in Utah and beyond. Friends and visitors included ecclesiastical leaders of all faiths, politicians from all major parties, students of all ages, and of course, dozens of local missionaries.

Skousen was born in Raymond, Alberta, Canada on Jan. 20, 1913, and was educated in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. He served a two-year mission in England for the LDS Church at age 17. He earned his J.D. at George Washington University. He and Jewel are the parents of eight children, 50 grandchildren, and 69 great-grand children. He was preceded in death by four brothers and two sisters, his daughter Kathleen, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He is survived by his wife Jewel, and children David (Judy), Orem, UT; Eric (Cheryl), Orem, UT; Julianne (Glenn) Kimber, Alpine, UT; Sharon (Russ) Krey, Gig Harbor, WA; Harold (Anne), Riverton, UT; Paul (Kathy), South Jordan, UT; Brent (Myralynne), West Jordan, UT.

Funeral Services are pending, but here is the tentative plan: A family-only memorial gathering will be held on Friday, January 13, at 3 p.m. followed by a public viewing beginning at 6:30 p.m. A morning viewing is scheduled for Saturday, January 14, from 10-11:30 a.m., and the funeral will begin at noon. Location: Parleys Stake Center, 1870 East Parleys Canyon Blvd.  Salt Lake City, Utah; (801) 468-5940 (Office).