Willard Cleon Skousen was born in Raymond, Alberta, Canada, on January 20, 1913, to Margarita Bentley and Royal Pratt Skousen. The family moved to San Bernardino, California, when Cleon was 10. He studied at Juarez Academy in Mexico for 9th and 10th grade while living with his grandmother in Colonia Juarez. Skousen served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the British Isles. He later attended San Bernadino Valley Junior College, where he served as student body president and excelled as a debater and public speaker. He went on to attend George Washington University and received his J.D. degree. Skousen was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and before the Federal District Court of Appeals. In 1935, while still attending law school, Skousen entered J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and was subsequently appointed as a Special Agent.

Skousen married Jewel Almira Pitcher Skousen on August 13, 1936, in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had eight children. Skousen served in various parts of the United States during World War II and was appointed to a supervisory administrative position at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Skousen left the FBI in 1951, after 16 years of service, to become the Director of Public Services and a member of the faculty at Brigham Young University. In 1956, he was given a leave of absence from BYU to reorganize the Salt Lake City Police Department, where he served as Chief of Police until 1960. In the fall of 1960, Skousen became Field Director for the American Security Council, as well as the editorial director of Law and Order, a police magazine. He returned to teach at BYU from 1967 to 1978.

Skousen's loyalty to America's founding fathers and the Constitution led to his founding the Freeman Institute in 1971; it was later renamed the National Center for Constitutional Studies. He served as president of the NCCS until 1988, working on educational courses, speeches, and writings aimed to educate citizens and elect government officials with similar views on the Constitution. Skousen authored many books and spoke prolifically across the United States. Some of his best-selling publications include "The Naked Communist," "So You Want to Raise a Boy?" "The Making of America," and "The Five Thousand Year Leap." He also wrote books on religion, including "The Prophecy and Modern Times,” and "Treasures from the Book of Mormon.” Skousen passed away January 9, 2006, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jewel Almira Pitcher Skousen was born August 29, 1918, in San Bernardino, California, to Myrtle Gertrude Barton and Hiram Nathen Pitcher. Her parents were descendants of early Latter-day Saint pioneers in California. Jewel attended San Bernadino High School, graduating in 1934. She married W. Cleon Skousen in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 13, 1936. They had eight children. The family lived in California, Washington, D.C., and for the majority of Jewel's life, in Utah. Jewel did not work outside the home after having her children, but she was heavily involved in the career of her husband. She proof-read and edited his publications and accompanied him on travels both within and outside the United States. She participated in many of the events and gatherings related to Cleon's career as an FBI agent, professor, Chief of Police in Salt Lake City, author, and speaker. Jewel was an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Cleon passed away in 2006, and Jewel passed away on February 23, 2019, in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 100.