Willis Van Devanter was born on April 17, 1859 in Marion, Indiana. After graduating from DePauw University and in 1881, the law school of Cincinnati College, he entered in to legal practice with his father, a prominent Indiana lawyer, and John W. Lacey, future chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court and Van Devanter's brother-in-law. In 1885, Van Devanter moved to Cheyenne and soon established himself in the legal community. His partners included former state supreme court justices Charles N. Potter and John W. Lacey. In the late 1880s, he was appointed to a commission to revise and publish the state statues, was city attorney for Cheyenne and was a member of the territorial house of representatives. In August 1889, President Benjamin Harrison appointed him chief justice of the Supreme Court of Wyoming. Shortly after Wyoming became a state, he retired from his duties and resumed his legal practice. He remained active in politics, serving as chairman of the republican state committee, a delegate to the national republican convention, and a member of the republican national committee. His legal career soon progressed on the national level. He became assistant attorney general of the United States in 1897 and a United States circuit judge in 1903. In 1910, President William Howard Taft appointed to the United States Supreme Court. He remained on the bench until his retirement on June 2, 1937. He died in Washington, D.C., on February 8, 1941.

• "Willis Van Devanter," Timeline of the Justices, Supreme Court Historical Society website. (accessed July 2015)
•  "Willis Van Devanter," memorial, FindAGrave.com. (accessed July 2015)
•  Willis Van Devanter papers, 1879-1966, Collection Number 00804, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. (accessed July 2015)
•  "Willis Van Devanter," OYEZ, Illinois Institution of Technology - Chicago Kent College of Law. (accessed July 2015)
•  "Willis Van Devanter, Cheyenne Lawyer and U.S. Supreme Court Justice," by Lori VanPelt, WyoHistory.org. (accessed July 2015)
•  "Don't Mess with Willis," by Dana Beiber, Made in Wyoming. (accessed July 2015)
•   Willis Van Devanter Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (accessed finding aid July 2015)