{{Short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder |honorific_prefix = |name = Frederick Skene |birth_date = {{Birth date|1874|7|25}} |birth_place = Garrison, New York |death_date = {{Death date and age|1943|8|22|1874 |7|25}} |death_place = Queens, New York |children = Dorothy Margaret Skene Page <ref>{{cite news |title=Dorothy Skene A Bride. Married in Garden of Summer Home to Dr. James Page |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C13F738581A7A93C6A91782D85F4C8385F9 |quote=Miss Dorothy Margaret Skene, daughter of Dean and Mrs. Frederick Skene of New York and East Chop, near here, was married to Dr. James D. Page of the University of Rochester at the Summer home of the bride's parents in the East Chop Summer colony this afternoon. |newspaper=New York Times |date=September 4, 1938 |access-date=2012-10-16 }} (subscription required)</ref> |resting_place = |resting_place_coordinates = |native_name = |native_name_lang = |honorific_suffix = |image = Frederick Skene.jpg |image_size = |alt = |caption = |order = |office = New York State Engineer and Surveyor |term_start = 1907 |term_end = 1908 |governor = Charles Evans Hughes |predecessor = Henry Arthur Van Alstyne |successor = Frank Martin Williams |constituency = |majority = |order2 = |office2 = Dean of School of Technology of City College of New York |term_start2 = 1940 |term_end2 = 1943 |succeeding2 = |predecessor2 = |successor2 = }} <!--{{Infobox Person | name =Frederick Skene | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1874|7|25}} | birth_place =Garrison, New York | death_date = {{Death date and age|1943|8|22|1874 |7|25}} | death_place =Queens, New York | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | residence = | nationality = | other_names = | known_for = | education = | employer = | occupation = | title = | salary = | networth = | height = | weight = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | religion = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents =Thomas Skene <br>Marry Parry | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}-->
'''Frederick Skene''' (July 25, 1874 – August 22, 1943) was an American civil engineer and politician from New York. He was New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1907 to 1908.<ref name=pg/> He was dean of the school of technology at City College of New York from 1940 to 1943.<ref name=obit/>
==Life== He was born on July 25, 1874, in Garrison, New York, the son of Thomas Skene and Marry (Parry) Skene.<ref name=obit/> He lived in Long Island City, Queens.<ref name=pg>{{cite web |url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/sjoberg-skillman.html |title=Frederick Skene |access-date=2012-10-16 |quote=Skene, Frederick — of Long Island City, Queens, Queens County, N.Y. New York state engineer and surveyor, 1907-08 |publisher=Political Graveyard }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Accuser Of Skene Called A Perjurer. Jerome Seeks Warrant for Charles H. O'Neil, Chief Witness for the Prosecution |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/09/06/archives/accuser-of-skene-called-a-perjurer-jerome-seeks-warrant-for-charles.html |quote=A dramatic climax came to-day in the trial of former State Engineer Frederick Skene on charges of grand larceny in connection with the award of good road contracts, when William T. Jerome, chief counsel for the defense, asked Justice Coman for a warrant for the arrest of Charles H. O'Neil for perjury. |newspaper=New York Times |date=September 6, 1910 |access-date=2012-10-16 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=obit/>
He died on August 22, 1943, in Queens, New York, at age 69. His funeral was held in Astoria, New York, and the bell at City College of New York was rung in his honor at noon.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=City College Bells Toll For Dean Skene. Ring 69 for Years of Lage Aide. Funeral Held in Astoria |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/08/28/archives/city-college-bells-toll-for-dean-skene-ring-69-for-years-of-lage.html |quote=Tower bells tolled sixty-nine times at City College yesterday noon, once for each year in the life of Dr. Frederick Skene, former dean of the School of Technology, ... |newspaper=New York Times |date=August 23, 1943 |access-date=2012-10-09 }} (subscription required)</ref>
== Boats == There is a debris collection vessel owned by the Albany Field Office built in 2024 named after Frederick Skene.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stalker |first=Mary |date=2025-09-01 |title=Tugs of the 2025 Roundup |url=https://www.tugboatroundup.com/updates/2025/9/1/tugs-of-the-2025-roundup |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=Waterford Tugboat Roundup |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/12/30/101814831.pdf His appointments, in NYT on December 30, 1906] *[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/09/03/104949439.pdf The trial begins, in NYT on September 3, 1910] *[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/09/06/104949555.pdf The trial continues, in NYT on September 6, 1910] *[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/09/08/104950446.pdf Skene testifies, in NYT on September 8, 1910] *[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/09/09/105089909.pdf Skene acquitted, in NYT on September 9, 1910] *[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/08/29/100573114.pdf Further developments of the trial and indictments, in NYT on August 29, 1913] {{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before = Henry A. Van Alstyne | title = New York State Engineer and Surveyor | years = 1907 – 1908 | after = Frank M. Williams}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skene, Frederick}} Category:1874 births Category:1943 deaths Category:New York State Engineers and Surveyors Category:New York University alumni Category:American civil engineers Category:Politicians from Queens, New York Category:People from Garrison, New York Category:New York (state) Democrats Category:United States Independence Party politicians