Some Famous Wilkins Names

There have been a number of famous and noteworthy persons with the Wilkins name. Here are a few of them. If you know of any others I can add here, email me marilee@wilkinslinks.org

SIR GEORGE HUBERT WILKINS, 1888–1958, British explorer; b. Australia. After several arctic expeditions, he was the first to explore the region by air (1928), traveling from ALASKA to Spitsbergen. He was knighted that same year. In 1931 he headed an arctic submarine expedition. more info

ROY WILKINS, 1901–81, African-American social reformer and civil-rights leader; b. St. Louis, Mo. As leader (1931–77) of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Wilkins tirelessly advanced the cause of racial equality achieved through constitutional means, opposing both white supremacy and African-American separatism. He is credited by many as the principal architect of school desegregation and the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

MAURICE HUGH FREDERICK WILKINS, 1916–, Irish biophysicist; b. New Zealand. He successfully extracted fibers from a gel of DNA, which, when analyzed by X-ray diffraction, showed a helical molecular structure. For this work he shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with James WATSON and Francis CRICK, who, on the basis of Wilkins' results and other scientific information, built a model of the DNA molecule. more info

JOHN WILKINS, 1614-1672, English Bishop of Chester and scientist who helped found the Royal Society. He published among other things, Discovery of a World in the Moone. biography

MARY ELEANOR WILKINS FREEMAN, 1852-1930 American writer best known for her short stories about rural life in New England. (`A New England Nun', short story; `Jane Field' and `Pembroke', novels; `The Wind in the Rose-Bush', ghost story; & `The Long Arm', a detective story) photo

ROBERT WALLACE WILKINS, 1906- , American medical investigator and educator, made many contributions in the research of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. He was the president of the American Heart Association in 1957 and received its Gold Heart Award in 1962. In 1958 he was given the American Public Health Association's Albert Lasker Award. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1957.

SOME WILKINS ATHLETES: Football: Jeff Wilkins, Gabe Wilkins; Baseball: Rick Wilkins; Basketball: Gerald Wilkins; Dominique Wilkins.

SOME WILKINS POLITICIANS: Wilkins, Beriah (1846-1905); Wilkins, William (1779-1865); Ross Wilkins (1799-1872); see also The Political Graveyard an Index to Politicians.
SOME INFAMOUS WILKINS INDIVIDUALS: John Wilkins was charged with having 6 wives and was in the process of marrying his 7th. Click here for the story.

Search this site