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 379 Collections and/or Records:
Office of the President speeches, 1959
Contains copies of speeches given at BYU as well as memos and letters organizing these speeches. Dated 1959.
Office of the President speeches, 1960-1962
Contains letters and memos of President Wilkinson accepting and rejecting speaking engagements and distributing copies of his addresses. Dated 1960 to 1962.
Office of the President speeches, 1967
Contains letters and memos between President Wilkinson and other. The letters were invitations for President Wilkinson to speak at events, as well as his reponses to these invitations. Dated 1967.
Office of the President speeches, 1966
Contains letters, memos and more materials between President Wilkinson, BYU students and BYU staff about speeches given by Presidetn Wilkinson. Dated 1966.
Oral history interview with Edith Johnson
Oral interview conducted by Hollis Scott as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club at Provo, Utah on April 24, 1984.Johnson discusses her career at Brigham Young University and her experiences as secretary to Ernest L. Wilkinson. She also comments on Mrs. Wilkinson's involvement in University affairs. Includes transcript and sound recordings.
Oral history interview with J. Smith Jacobs
Typescripts of an oral history conducted as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club. Jacobs tells about attending Brigham Young University from 1928 to 1930 and gives his impressions of the university presidents, Enest L. Wilkinson and Franklin S. Harris.
Oral history interview with Robert Edwon Riggs
Oral history conducted by Arthur R. Watkins as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on September 8, 1992. Riggs talks about his education, his law career, his employment at Brigham Young University, and his disagreements with the president of Brigham Young University, Ernest L. Wilkinson. Includes transcript and sound recording.
Photographs of gifts and grants, approximately 1950-1969
Contains photographs of various gifts and grants presented to Brigham Young University. Includes several photographs of Ernest Wilkinson receiving grants and of the Telefund campaign, approximately 1950-1969.
Seventeenth Annual Utah Conference on Higher Education papers
The proceedings of the 17th Annual Utah Conference on Higher Education, as well as a program outlining the events of the weekend, dated September 15, 16, 1960.