Wilkinson, Ernest L., 1899-1978
Dates
- Existence: 1899 - 1978
Biographical History
Ernest L. Wilkinson (1899-1978) was a prominent Mormon lawyer and academic administrator. He served as president of Brigham Young University from 1951-1971.
Ernest Leroy Wilkinson was born in Ogden, Utah, on May 4, 1899. He grew up in the outskirts of the city, one of seven children. Ernest enrolled in Weber Academy, and he was characterized by his hardworking nature. He served in the Student Army Training Corps in 1918. He then attended Brigham Young University, where he was very active in student activities and politics. He married Alice Valera Ludlow on August 15, 1923. He attended George Washington University and graduated summa cum laude in 1926. In 1935, he served as a lawyer for the Ute Indian tribes as they successfully gained compensation for land.
Upon being named president of BYU in 1951, Wilkinson proceeded to aggressively expand the university. Under his presidency, BYU grew to the largest private university in the United States. The intellectual standards of BYU also increased dramatically. Even as he contributed to drastic growth in the university, he never accepted a salary. He was replaced by Dallin H. Oaks in 1971. Wilkinson passed away April 6, 1978.
Citation:
His Earnestly yours, 1971Deem, W.J. Ernest L. Wilkinson, Indian advocate ... 1982: p. 665 (d. 4/6/78)
Wikipedia, Mar. 2, 2011 (Ernest L. Wilkinson; Ernest Leroy Wilkinson; b. May 4, 1899 in Ogden, Utah; American academic administrator; Commission of Church Education for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1953-1970; president of Brigham Young University, 1951-1971; attorney in Washington, D.C. and N.Y.)
Ancestry.com, Mar. 2, 2011 (Ernest L. Wilkinson; Ernest Wilkinson; Ernest Leroy Wilkinson; d. in Salt Lake City, Utah)
Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years, 1975: p. 506 (born in Ogden, Utah; one of seven children; grew up on outskirts) p. 508 (enrolled in Weber Academy; hardworking) p. 510 (Student Army Training Corps, 1918; attended Brigham Young University) p. 511 (active in BYU activities) p. 515 (married Alice Ludlow; August 15, 1923) p. 517 (graduated from George Washington University; summa cum laude; 1926) p. 520 (attorney for the Ute Tribe) p. 506 (never accepted a salary)
FamilySearch, May 29, 2014 (Ernest Leroy Wilkinson, "BillionGraves Index"; b. May 4, 1899; d. April 6, 1978)
Office of the President, May 29, 2014 (Ernest L. Wilkinson; served as president from 1951-1971; expanded BYU to nation's largest private university; increased intellectual standards)
Found in 10 Collections and/or Records:
Office of the President records on academic, 1963-1965
Contains memos, letters and reports on a vast array of BYU academic topics, including student life and activities, BYU faculty and staff, and academic colleges and majors. Dated 1963-1965.
Office of the President records on academics, 1959-1964
Contains memos, letters and reports on various BYU academics topics such as major programs and curriculums. Other topics include student and staff activities. Dated 1959 to 1964.
Office of the President records on academics, 1965-1968
Contains memos, letters, articles and reports on a vast array of BYU academic topics, including student life and activities, BYU faculty and staff, and academic colleges and majors. Dated 1965-1969.
Office of the President records on books, 1960-1962
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and others discussing books and recommended reading. Dated 1960 to 1962.
Office of the President records on colleges and departments, 1963-1964
Contains letters, memos, reports and other materials regarding the operations and curriculum for various BYU colleges. These were sent between President Wilkinson and staff of various departments. Dated 1963 to 1964.
Office of the President records on colleges and departments, 1958-1962
Contains letters, memos and other materials regarding the coordination of curriculum for various BYU colleges. These were sent between President Wilkinson and heads of various departments. Dated 1958 to 1962.
Office of the President records on colleges and departments, 1956-1959
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and heads of BYU departments discussing academic colleges as well as the programs and curriculum offered in these colleges. Contains memos and letters about athletics and other BYU programs. Also contains other materials such as news clippings and reports. Dated 1959.
Office of the President records on curriculum, 1954-1958
Records of the Office of the President under Ernest L. Wilkinson on various administrative topics, including the Church School System, federal aid, finance, enrollment statistics, and general correspondence between administration. Dates of record keeping from 1937 to 1960.
Office of the President records on curriculum, 1960-1961
Contains memos discussing BYU curriculum as well as a schedule of all available BYU courses. Dated 1960 to 1961.
Office of the President records on curriculum, 1959
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and BYU faculty coordinating curriculum for the university. Dated 1959.