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 20 Collections and/or Records:
Office of the President records on Indian Program, 1963
Contains letters, memos, reports, article and clippings about Native Americans at BYU and in the Indian Program. Dated 1963.
Office of the President records on motion pictures, 1963
Contians letters, memos and articles about productions of the BYU film studio including The Search For Truth. Dated 1963.
Office of the President records on politics, 1957-1958
Contains correspondence between president Wilkinson and U.S. politicians discussing political topics. Topics included Senate bill 250, H.R. 7125, and scholarships. Also includes articles and reports on politics. Materials dated 1957-1958.
Office of the President records on politics, 1963
Contains letters, memos, articles and adresses. The topics include the Peace Corps as well as political issues at BYU. Dated 1963.
Office of the President records on United Nations, 1959-1962
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and BYU faculty about the United Nations. Also contains clippings and articles about the United Nations. Dated 1959 to 1962.
Office of the President records on universities, 1960-1962
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and representatives of other universities. Also contains articles about other universities, especially the University of Utah. Dated 1960 to 1962.
Office of the President records on University Press, 1967
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 1965 to 1968.
Office of the President records on university relations, 1965
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and members of various national, regional and state-wide academic councils and assemblies. Also includes reports of the associations' activity, as well as correspondence with leaders of other universities. Dated 1965.
Office of the President records on Vontella Kimball, 1963
Contains letters and memos from President Wilkinson about articles. Also contains articles and clippings about Vontella Kimball. Dated 1963.
Office of the President speeches, 1963
Contains academic articles as well as letters and memos requesting President Wilkinson to speak at events. Dated 1963.