Skip to main content

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 379 Collections and/or Records:

Office of the President general records, 1964-1965

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 8 Sub-Series 10
Scope and Contents

Letters and memos to President Wilkinson inviting him to attend and speak at events, as well as his responses. Also contains letters of congratulations and travel information. Dated 1964-1965.

Dates: 1964-1965

Office of the President general records, 1964

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 7 Sub-Series 12
Scope and Contents

Contains letters and memos on general topics such as personal correspondence of President Wilkinson and the Utah School Commission. dated 1964.

Dates: 1964

Office of the President general records, 1966-1967

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 9 Sub-Series 9
Scope and Contents

Letters and memos to President Wilkinson inviting him to attend and speak at events. as well as his responses. Also contains letters of congratulations and travel information. Dated 1966-1967.

Dates: 1966-1967

Office of the President general records, 1967

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 10 Sub-Series 9
Scope and Contents

Memos and letters to and from President Wilkinson discussing miscellaneous personal and professional matters such as condolences, congratulations, pollitics, and inviations to speaking engagements. Dated 1967.

Dates: 1967

Office of the President inter-office memos, 1965

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 8 Sub-Series 13
Scope and Contents

Contains a list of BYU administrative staff as well as a collection of memorandums from President Wilkinson on a variety of BYU policies and individual circumstances. Includes a variety of topics from vacations to news articles. Dated 1965.

Dates: 1965

Office of the President invitations, 1951-1956

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 25
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Records of the Office of the President under Ernest L. Wilkinson on various administrative topics, including staff, faculty, students, finance, and higher education in Utah and the United States. Dates of record keeping from 1949 to 1956.

Dates: 1951-1956

Office of the President invitations, 1963

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 6 Sub-Series 48
Scope and Contents

Contians letters and memos from members of the community inviting President Wilkinson to various events. Also contains his responses either accepting or rejecting invitations. Dated 1963.

Dates: 1963

Office of the President invitations, 1957-1958

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 3 Sub-Series 31
Scope and Contents

Contains invitations inviting President Wilkinson to various events, as well as his memos and letters accepting or rejecting the invitations. Dated 1957 to 1958.

Dates: 1957-1958

Office of the President invitations, 1959

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 5 Sub-Series 22
Scope and Contents

Contains letters and memos inviting President Wilkinson to attend or speak at various events. Dated 1959.

Dates: 1959

Office of the President job applications, 1963

 Sub-Series
Identifier: UA 1086 Series 6 Sub-Series 49
Scope and Contents

Contains letters to President Wilkinson from prospective employees enquiring about job openings. Also contains memos from President Wilkinson about the applicants. Dated 1963.

Dates: 1963