| Ernest L. Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 Wilkinson pictured in The Banyan 1952, BYU yearbook |
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| President of Brigham Young University | |
| Term | 1951 – 1971 |
| Predecessor | Howard S. McDonald |
| Successor | Dallin H. Oaks |
| Born | May 4, 1899 Ogden, Utah |
| Died | April 6, 1978 (aged 78) Salt Lake City, Utah |
Ernest Leroy Wilkinson (May 4, 1899 – April 6, 1978) was an American academic administrator and prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1951 to 1971 and also oversaw the entire LDS Church Educational System. Prior to this, Wilkinson was a lawyer in Washington, D.C. and New York.
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Biography[edit]
Wilkinson was born in Ogden, Utah. He graduated from Weber Academy in Ogden in 1917. He was then a student at Weber College, which was the same school now having expanded to offer collegiate level courses. After a year at Weber College Wilkinson became a member of the Student Army Training Core unit located at BYU.[1] After the war he became a regular student at BYU and among other things served as the editor of the weekly newspaper. He earned his bachelor of arts degree at BYU in 1921.[2]
At graduation Wilkinson began teaching at Weber College. He married Alice Valera Ludlow, a native of Spanish Fork who he had met while they were both students at BYU, in the Salt Lake Temple on 16 August 1923. The ceremony was performed by James E. Talmage.[3] Ernest and Alice would have five children. Among other subjects, Alice had studied drama at BYU, which lead to T. Earl Pardoe stating she was his most talented student up to that time.[4]
Also in 1923 Wilkinson was involved with the campaign of William H. King for United States Senate. He then earned a law degree from George Washington University and a doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1927.[5][6]
While in law school Wilkinson taught high school in Washington, D.C. He also was for a time on the faculty of the New Jersey Law School.
After working for future Supreme Court chief justice Charles Evans Hughes,[5] Wilkinson served as attorney for the Ute Indian Tribes in their suit to be compensated for land never paid for by the U.S. government as part of the Treaty of 1880. In 1950 this suit was upheld by the United States Court of Claims and as a result, the Ute tribes were awarded $32 million.[7][8]
When Wilkinson came to BYU he replaced the interim administration of Christen Jensen. Under Wilkinson's administration, BYU expanded in all ways. The number of students increased from 5,000 to 25,000.[9] He instituted aggressive recruiting methods where faculty would accompany general authorities on visits to stake conferences and tours of missions. This changed BYU from having a student body mainly from Utah to having a student body from virtually every state in the nation. Under his administration the number of buildings on campus grew tremendously. BYU also for the first time granted Ph.D.s. Wilkinson considered the most important accomplishment of his term as president to have been the organization of student wards and stakes.
Wilkinson was the ninth Commissioner of Church Education of the LDS Church. During his tenure, he also bore the title "Administrator–Chancellor of the Unified Church Schools System".
In 1964, Wilkinson won the Republican Party nomination for the United States Senate, defeating Sherman P. Lloyd. Wilkinson lost in the general election to incumbent Senator Frank Moss.
On April 21, 1966, Wilkinson gave an address to the student body of BYU, entitled "The Changing Nature of American Government from a Constitutional Republic to a Welfare State." This was published in booklet form by Deseret Book Company.
Notes[edit]
- ^ Ernest L. Wilkinson, ed., Brigham Young University: The First 100 years (Provo: BYU Press, 1975) Vol. 2, p. 510-511
- ^ Wilkinson. BYU 1st 100, Vol. 2, p. 514
- ^ Wilkinson. BYU 1st 100. Vol. 2, p. 515
- ^ Wilkinson. BYU 1st 100. Vol. 2, p. 515
- ^ a b Richard E. Bennett. "Ernest L. Wilkinson" in Arnold K. Garr, et al, eds., Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 1344-1346
- ^ BYU Magazine Fall 1999
- ^ Wilson Rockwell (1956). The Utes, a Forgotten People, p. 252
- ^ The case was "Confederated Bands of Ute Indians v. United States, 117 Ct.Cl. 433 (1950)". "402 US 159 United States v. Southern Ute Tribe or Band of Indians". Open Jurist. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
- ^ Bennett, Richard E. "Brigham Young University" in Arnold K. Garr, et. al, eds., Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 136
Sources[edit]
- Bergera, Gary James; Priddis, Ronald (1985), Brigham Young University: A House of Faith, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, ISBN 0-941214-34-6.
- Bergera, Gary James (Summer 1993), "A Strange Phenomena: Ernest L. Wilkinson, the LDS Church, and Utah Politics", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 26 (2): 89–115.
- Bergera, Gary James (Fall 1993), "'A Sad and Expensive Experience': Ernest L. Wilkinson's 1964 Bid for the U.S. Senate", Utah Historical Quarterly 61 (4): 304–24.
- Bergera, Gary James (Spring 1996), "Ernest L. Wilkinson and the Office of Church Commissioner of Education", Journal of Mormon History 22 (1): 137–73.
- Bergera, Gary James (July 1997), "Wilkinson the Man", Sunstone (106): 29–41.
- Bergera, Gary James (Fall 1997), "Ernest L. Wilkinson's Appointment as Seventh President of Brigham Young University", Journal of Mormon History 23 (2): 128–54.
- Bergera, Gary James (Fall 1997), "Building Wilkinson's University", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 30 (3): 105–35.
- Blake, Jeff D. (Spring 1995), "Ernest L. Wilkinson and the 1966 BYU Spy Ring: A Response to D. Michael Quinn", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 28 (1): 163–72.
- Deem, Woodruff J.; Bird, Glenn V. (1982), Ernest L. Wilkinson—Indian Advocate and University President, Provo, Utah: Alice L. Wilkinson.
- Embry, Jessie L. (1994), "Ernest L. Wilkinson", in Allan Kent Powell, Utah History Encyclopedia, Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, ISBN 0-87480-425-6.
- Friel, Danae (Fall 1999), "Ernest L. Wilkinson: University Builder", BYU Magazine 53: 70–72.
- Hemming, Val G. (Fall 2000), "Ricks College: The Struggle for Permanency and Place, 1954-60", Journal of Mormon History 26 (2): 51–109.
- Waterman, Bryan (Winter 1998), "Ernest Wilkinson and the Transformation of BYU's Honor Code, 1965-71", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 31 (4): 85–102.
- Wilkinson, Ernest L.; Skousen, W. Cleon (1976), Brigham Young University: A School of Destiny, Provo, Utah: BYU Press, ISBN 0-8425-0905-4.
External links[edit]
- Wilkinson's presidential profile listed at BYU
- Wilkinson resources available through BYU
- Ernest L. Wilkinson Papers at BYU
| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by Howard S. McDonald |
President of BYU 1951–1971 |
Succeeded by Dallin H. Oaks |
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