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Wilkinson, Ernest L., 1899-1978

 Person

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, 1971

Deem, 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 699 Collections and/or Records:

Office of the President records on Institutes and Seminaries, 1952-1956

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 13
Scope and Contents

Contains correspondence and memos regarding the hiring of seminary and institute teachers, annual reports, and directories of seminary and institute teachers. Dated 1952 to 1956.

Dates: 1952-1956
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on insurance, 1958

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 3 Sub-Series 29
Scope and Contents

Contains reports explaining insurance for universities. Also contains memos discussing potential new insurance possibilities or BYU. Dated 1958.

Dates: 1958
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on insurance, 1959-1962

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 4 Sub-Series 43
Scope and Contents

Contains letters, memos and reports on insurance policies, as well as on the implementation of the insurance poilicy that was selected for BYU. Dated 1959-1962.

Dates: 1959-1962
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on insurance, 1963

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 6 Sub-Series 47
Scope and Contents

Contains letters, memos and financial statements of President Wilkinson evaluating and choosing insurance programs. Dated 1963.

Dates: 1963
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on investments, 1954-1958

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 3 Sub-Series 27
Scope and Contents

Contains letters, memorandums and reports concerning tuition, the BYU investment committee, and the use of funds. Dated 1954 to 1958.

Dates: 1954-1958
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on Iran, 1951-1955

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 27
Scope and Contents

Contains correspondence between General Authorities, government officials, and BYU from 1951 to 1955. The correspondence pertains to BYU's involvement in the United States' Four Point program in Iran.

Dates: 1951-1955
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on Iran, 1956-1958

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 3 Sub-Series 32
Scope and Contents

Contains proposed contracts between BYU and the University of Tehran in Iran. Also contains memorandums and letters arranging said contracts. Dated 1956 to 1958.

Dates: 1956-1958
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on Iran, 1960-1962

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 4 Sub-Series 44
Scope and Contents

Contains memos and letters between BYU and church leadership evaluating Daneshsaraye Ali, a college in Iran, and other aspects of the Iran Program. Also contains the book: Technical Aid- on Investments in People published by BYU. Dated 1960 to 1962.

Dates: 1960-1962
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on Iran , 1959

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 5 Sub-Series 23
Scope and Contents

Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and Church leaders about the Church and BYU's involvement in Iran. Also contains news clippings. Dated 1959.

Dates: 1959
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

Office of the President records on J. Bracken Lee, 1953-1956

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 30
Scope and Contents

Contains news clippings, letters, memorandums and reports from 1953 to 1956 concerning Utah Governor Joseph Bracken Lee.

Dates: 1953-1956
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

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