United States Sanitary Commission. Chicago Branch

Climax Prairre, now called Climax, is located in Kalamazoo County (Mich.). Skinner (Sept. 13, 1913-Sept. 16, 1887) was the city attorney for Chicago, 1839-1840, a member of the Ill. legislature, 1846-1847, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Cook County, Ill.), 1851-1853. He married Elizabeth Magill Williams in 1841. The Skinner School in Chicago was named in his honor. He founded numerous early Chicago relief and aid societies and the Chicago Library Association. The Chicago [Northwestern] Sanitary Commission was formed on Oct. 17, 1861 in response to an order of the Secretary of War on June 9, 1861 to form committees to meet the sanitary needs of soldiers. A committee of seven was elected, including Skinner, who served on the Committee until 1864. (Information from Blathchford's Memorial sketch of Mark Skinner, 1826.).