The son of a Vermont politician and judge, Skinner decided to follow his father into the legal profession.

During the Civil War, during which he lost his only son, Skinner served on the United States Sanitary Commission and oversaw a similar organization in Chicago.

[1] His father was Richard Skinner, at the time a member of the United States House of Representatives and the future Governor of Vermont.

[2] Skinner followed his father's profession and studied law in Saratoga Springs, New York, under Esek Cowen and Nicholas Hill.

He also attended the New Haven Law School for a year, studying under David Daggett and Samuel J. Hitchcock.

When James K. Polk succeeded Tyler in March, Isaac N. Arnold challenged Skinner for the appointment.

Upon its founding, Skinner was named President of the Northwestern Sanitary Commission, which provided relief for sick and wounded soldiers of the Civil War.