Dr. Ernest Hiram Lindley was born October 2, 1869, to Hiram and Laura White Lindley in Paoli, Indiana. Lindley attended Indiana University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1893 and his Master of Arts in Philosophy in 1894. He received a Ph.D. from Clark University in 1897.

After graduating with his bachelor's degree, Lindley was appointed instructor in Philosophy at Indiana University. He served as an Instructor in Philosophy at Indiana University from 1893-1897, as Assistant Professor from 1897-1898, as Associate Professor in Psychology (Department of Philosophy), 1898-1902, and as Psychology Professor and Head of Philosophy, 1902-1917. From 1917-1920, Lindley was President of the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. He went on to become the Chancellor of the University of Kansas from 1920-1939. Lindley retired in 1939 and went on a tour of the Orient to study educational institutions.

Dr. Lindley was an accomplished author and researcher. He belonged to the American Psychological Association, Religious Education Association, Western Philosophical Association, Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Chi. The Science Hall on IU's campus was renamed Lindley Hall after Ernest H. Lindley in 1957.

Lindley married Elizabeth Kidder on September 18, 1895. They had two sons, Ernest Kidder Lindley and Stanley Bryan Lindley. Lindley died on August 21, 1940 while enroute to San Francisco from Japan on August and was buried at sea.

Elizabeth Kidder Lindley was born on January 10, 1870, in Richmond, Indiana to Peter and Emily Kidder. She attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana from 1891-92 before coming to Indiana University. Lindley graduated from Indiana University in 1893 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She married Ernest H. Lindley on September 18, 1895. They had a son Ernest Kidder Lindley in 1899 and another son Stanley Bryan Lindley in 1906. Alumni directories from Earlham College indicate Lindley was involved in woman suffrage work. She was traveling with her husband when he died. Lindley returned to Lawrence, Kansas where they had lived since 1920. She died in 1944.

Ernest Kidder Lindley was born on July 14, 1899, in Richmond, Indiana. Lindley first attended Indiana University where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, The Indiana Union, and The Garrick Club. He later attended the University of Idaho where he served as Editor-in-chief of the student newspaper and graduated in 1920. Lindley served in the Army during World War I. After graduating from college, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and spent three years studying at Oxford University in England.

In 1924, Lindley joined the staff of The New York World as a reporter and political writer. He next worked at the New York Herald Tribune from 1931-1937. In 1937, Lindley became the Washington bureau chief of Newsweek and worked for the magazine until 1961. From 1938-1943, he worked for the Washington Post as a reporter and columnist. In 1961, Lindley became a special assistant to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and a member of the State Department's Policy Planning Council. He worked for the State Department until 1969. Additionally, Lindley worked as a commentator on network radio and television programs, a writer for various national magazines, and a lecturer on international affairs.

Lindley wrote the first book about Franklin Roosevelt and authored several books related to Roosevelt and his policies. He was the winner of many journalistic awards and had several honorary degrees. In 1974, Lindley was elected a scholar by the Distinguished Alumni Service Award Club of Indiana University.

On October 5, 1929, Lindley married Helen Elizabeth "Betty" Grimes. They had three sons, Jonathan, Christopher, and Mark. The couple were married until her death in 1976. At the time of his death, Lindley was married to Jean Gehman Lindley. He died on June 30, 1979 of cancer.