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 661 Collections and/or Records:
Photographs of university trustees
Contains thirty-nine black-and-white photographs of presidents of the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young Academy and University; also views of chairmen of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of BYU. Also includes view of Karl G. Maeser's wife, Anna.
Physical Plant Department records
Material related to the Physical Plant Department during the early years of the Ernest L. Wilkinson administration. They contain information on the planning for and naming of buildings as well as information on a community planning service.
Pictorial report of the president of Brigham Young University and the administrator of other areas of the Unified Church School System to Aug. 31, 1961
A pictorial report concerning the Church School System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Brigham Young University presidents, and Church buildings.
Polysophical Society records
Contains meeting minutes, programs, membership records, and party invitations. Also includes a brief history and correspondence from Herald R. Clark to Ernest L. Wilkinson concerning Polysophical Society as forerunner of lyceum course.
Proposed pilot plan for junior colleges
Bound proposal to set up a system of junior colleges to better educate Mormon students. The proposed system would have been under the auspices of the Church Educational System.
Public Communications records on comparative treatment of Brigham Young University publicity, 1973-1974
Contains newspaper clippings showing relative news treatment of Brigham Young University publicity in the Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune, and Provo Daily Herald.
Public Communications records on student protest and campus disorders, 1968-1971
Contains information about student protests and campus disorders in the United States from 1968 to 1971.
Publications Office records
Collection compiled in honor of David O. McKay on his 90th birthday which contains a pictorial summary showing growth of the Unified Church School System; a dedicatory letter from Ernest L. Wilkinson; cumulative enrollment charts of BYU, institutes, and seminaries; photographs of campuses, buildings, students, and leaders of schools in the Unified Church School System; and photographs of McKay, 1951-1963.
Ray C. Hillam papers on Brigham Young University spy scandal, 1965-1985
Contains a documentary compilation of all the material which traces the history of the "Spy Ring" incident of 1966-1967. It contains letters, memos, notes, and reports of various conversations collected by Ray C. Hillam, one of eight professors whose classes were monitored by a group of students allegedly under the direction of President Ernest L. Wilkinson. Dated from 1965 to 1985.
Recollections of Ernest L. Wilkinson
Includes a tribute to Wilkinson; an address to the Provo Ladies Literary Club, 15 March 1978; and a cover letter, 7 December 2000, to University Archivist at BYU. All items focus on her work with Ernest L. Wilkinson and on details of his life.