Wilson Martindale Compton was a long-time trade association executive for the timber industry and also the fifth president of the State College of Washington, now Washington State University.

Washington State University (WSU) is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an undergraduate enrollment of 24,278 and a total enrollment of 28,581, it is the second largest institution for higher education in Washington state behind the University of Washington. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".