Willis William Ritter

Willis William Ritter
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah
In office 1954–1978
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Aldon J. Anderson
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah
In office October 21, 1949 – March 4, 1978
Appointed by	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Tillman Davis Johnson
Succeeded by	Bruce Sterling Jenkins
Personal details
Born	Willis William Ritter (1899-01-24)January 24, 1899 Salt Lake City, Utah
Died	March 4, 1978(1978-03-04) (aged 79) Salt Lake City, Utah
Education	University of Utah (A.B.) University of Chicago Law School (LL.B.) Harvard Law School (S.J.D.)

Willis William Ritter (January 24, 1899 – March 4, 1978) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah.

Education and career

Ritter was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and grew up in Midway, Utah and Park City, Utah. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Utah, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Chicago Law School in 1924. He was in private practice in Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. from 1924 to 1926. He was a professor of law at the University of Utah from 1926 to 1950, and in private practice in Salt Lake City from 1935 to 1949, also receiving a Doctor of Juridical Science from Harvard Law School in 1940.

Federal judicial service

On October 21, 1949, Ritter received a recess appointment from President Harry S. Truman to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Utah vacated by Judge Tillman Davis Johnson. He was formally nominated on January 5, 1950, and opposed during the confirmation process by United States Senator from Utah Arthur Vivian Watkins. Ritter was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 29, 1950, and received his commission on July 7, 1950. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 until his death on March 4, 1978, in Salt Lake City.

Sources

• Willis William Ritter at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Further reading

• Cowley, Patricia F. and Parker M. Nielson. Thunder Over Zion:The Life of Chief Judge Willis W. Ritter. 2007. ISBN 978-0-87480-876-6