[1] Skujenieks was born in Riga, into the family of Vensku Edvarts (real name Eduards Skujenieks), a notable publicist and a poet, and Luīze Skujeniece (daughter of Juris Alunāns), the first female Latvian theatre critic.

Skujenieks became a Social Democrat in 1903, but he never supported the concept of international class struggle, where nationality would be of no importance.

In 1921 Skujenieks and a group of MPs broke away from the mainstream Social Democrats and established his own faction, which then joined the ruling coalition.

This created domestic political controversy which eventually led to Skujenieks' cabinet resignation.

After the elections of October 1931, he succeeded Kārlis Ulmanis on 6 December 1931 as the Prime Minister.

Skujenieks, by this time more nationalistic and critical of the Saeima, allegedly was involved in a coup plot by Social Democrat Fēlikss Cielēns, his good friend, general Jānis Balodis and some leading officers, who intended to stage a coup and then give the power to Skujenieks.

Skujenieks resigned from the government after Ulmanis did not fulfill his promises of constitutional reform and instead continued to strengthen a paternalistic authoritarian regime.