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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 university relations, 1968

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 11 Sub-Series 14
Scope and Contents

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 1968.

Dates: 1968
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 university representative, 1959-1962

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 4 Sub-Series 62
Scope and Contents

Contains letters selecting faculty and staff to represent BYU at various conferences. Dated 1959 to 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 university standards, 1963

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 6 Sub-Series 15
Scope and Contents

Contains a single memo from President Wilkinson to Clyde D. Sandgren about BYU standards. 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 university standards, 1958

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 3 Sub-Series 7
Scope and Contents

Contains copies of a 1950 tentative statement of purpose for BYU as well as copies of letters and memorandums concerning standards of behavior at BYU. Materials 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 visitors, 1962

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 4 Sub-Series 81
Scope and Contents

Contains news clippings and memos to and from President Wilkinson about visitors to BYU. Dated 1962.

Dates: 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 visitors, 1963

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 6 Sub-Series 79
Scope and Contents

Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and BYU staff discussing visitors to BYU. 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 Vontella Kimball, 1956-1962

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 4 Sub-Series 45
Scope and Contents

Contains speeches by the businesswoman Vontella Kimball given at BYU. Also contains articles on and by Kimball, as well as copies of Westate News, a publication by the Western States Mission. Dated 1956 to 1962.

Dates: 1956-1962
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 Vontella Kimball, 1963

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 6 Sub-Series 50
Scope and Contents

Contains letters and memos from President Wilkinson about articles. Also contains articles and clippings about Vontella Kimball. 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 White House conferences, 1952-1956

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 67
Scope and Contents

Contains reports on the White House Conference on Education as well as legislative bills concerning federal aid to education. Also contains booklets of reports on education and statements on the philosophy of education. Most materials come from Washington D.C., although some concern Utah specifically. 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 William P. Knecht, 1961-1962

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 4 Sub-Series 46
Scope and Contents

Contains memos and letters between President Wilkinson and William Knecht, an alumnus of BYU and MIT, discussing ideas for the Church School System. Dated 1961 to 1962.

Dates: 1961-1962
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives / Office of the President records / Office of the President records

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