William U. Hill -- 2005 Outstanding Alumnus

Bachelor of Arts - 1974 - English

     William U. Hill received a B.A in English in 1970 and then attended UW Law School, graduating in 1974. Hill’s contributions to the legal profession and the public sector include: private practice in Riverton, Cheyenne, and Seattle, Washington; serving as chief of staff-counsel to Senator Malcolm Wallop; working as an assistant United States attorney, specializing in prosecuting major drug cases and violent crimes; and acting as Wyoming’s Attorney General under Governor Jim Geringer.

     As attorney general, Hill emphasized using assistant attorneys general, rather than outside counsel, to handle significant litigation in which Wyoming was a party. He was also an outspoken advocate for victims’ rights, especially those of domestic violence. Under his leadership, Wyoming joined the Silent Witness Initiative.

     Appointed to the Wyoming Supreme Court in 1998, Hill was sworn in as chief justice on July 1, 2002. He manages the day-to-day function of the Wyoming Supreme Court.

     Hill’s love of literature and history, honed during his years as an under- graduate in A&S, is the foundation for each phase of his career. “The education I received at UW never has let me down,” he says.