Ernest L. Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Ernest Leroy Wilkinson 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
.
, 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. 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.
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
. 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.
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.
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
, 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.
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. 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.
Wilkinson has left a somewhat mixed legacy at BYU. While many BYU alum and faculty have praised Wilkinson's groundbreaking building and expansion projects, others have criticized what they see as his excessive meddling in political affairs. At one point, Wilkinson actually went so far as to organize a student spy ring to expose supposed "pro-communist" professors in the faculty. When word of Wilkinson's espionage efforts reached the general public, it elicited an investigation by LDS General Authorities N. Eldon Tanner and Harold B. Lee which eventually resulted in Wilkinson's early retirement.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic administrator and prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was president of Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) from 1951 to 1971 and also oversaw the entire LDS Church Educational System
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
. Prior to this, Wilkinson was a lawyer in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Biography
Wilkinson was born in OgdenOgden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. 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. 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.
At graduation Wilkinson began teaching at Weber College. He married Alice Valera Ludlow, a native of Spanish Fork
Spanish Fork, Utah
Spanish Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 31,497 as of the 2008 census estimate.-History:Spanish Fork was settled by LDS pioneers in 1851...
who he had met while they were both students at BYU, in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
on 16 August 1923. The ceremony was performed by James E. Talmage
James E. Talmage
James Edward Talmage born in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1911 until his death in 1933....
. Ernest and Alice would have five children. Among other subjects, Alice had studied drama at BYU, which lead to T. Earl Pardoe
T. Earl Pardoe
Thomas Earl Pardoe was the first head of the Brigham Young University drama program. One of the main theaters in the Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU is named for him and his wife, Kathryn Bassett Pardoe, who was also an influential drama teacher at BYU.Pardoes was born and raised in Ogden, Utah...
stating she was his most talented student up to that time.
William H. King
William Henry King was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Salt Lake City, Utah. A Democrat, he represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1917 until 1941.-Life:...
for United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He then earned a law degree from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and a doctorate from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1927.
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
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
chief justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes, Sr. was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican politician from New York. He served as the 36th Governor of New York , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States , United States Secretary of State , a judge on the Court of International Justice , and...
, 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
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
and as a result, the Ute tribes were awarded $32 million.
When Wilkinson came to BYU he replaced the interim administration of Christen Jensen
Christen Jensen
Christen Jensen was an American educator who twice served as interim president of Brigham Young University . The two terms were 1939-1940 while Franklin S. Harris was doing work in Iran and then in Nov. 1949-Feb. 1951 between the presidencies of Howard S. McDonald and Ernest L. Wilkinson.Jensen...
. Under Wilkinson's administration, BYU expanded in all ways. The number of students increased from 5,000 to 25,000. 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.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
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
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, defeating Sherman P. Lloyd
Sherman P. Lloyd
Sherman Parkinson Lloyd was a U.S. Representative from Utah.- Biography :Lloyd was born in St. Anthony, Fremont County, Idaho, Lloyd's father was a counselor in the Stake Presidency at the time. Lloyd attended St. Anthony and Rexburg public schools. Lloyd was a member of The Church of Jesus...
. Wilkinson lost in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
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.
Wilkinson has left a somewhat mixed legacy at BYU. While many BYU alum and faculty have praised Wilkinson's groundbreaking building and expansion projects, others have criticized what they see as his excessive meddling in political affairs. At one point, Wilkinson actually went so far as to organize a student spy ring to expose supposed "pro-communist" professors in the faculty. When word of Wilkinson's espionage efforts reached the general public, it elicited an investigation by LDS General Authorities N. Eldon Tanner and Harold B. Lee which eventually resulted in Wilkinson's early retirement.