THE LIFE OF CHIEF JUDGE WILLIS W. RITTER, by Patricia F. Cowley and Parker M. Nielson, University of Utah Press, 372 pages, $34.95

Judge Willis W. Ritter, who served as a U.S. district judge for Utah from 1949 until his death in 1978, was a legendary, enigmatic character in the local legal profession.

Anyone who was a lawyer in Utah during those years — or knew a lawyer — probably heard some of the juiciest stories about Ritter's conduct in the courtroom.

It's a surprising development, so many years later, to see a careful, honest biography of the man — even though it is almost accidental. Co-authored by Patricia Cowley and Parker Nielson, "The Life of Chief Judge Willis W. Ritter" was really begun by Cowley, the wife of James (Phil) Cowley, a lawyer. She heard many of the stories about Ritter and became fascinated with him, even though she had never met him.

Was he an "intellectual giant" or a "despicable, fat mouse"?

She was curious and began to collect information about his family history, starting with a connection with the judge's daughter, Nancy, who afforded her access to knowledgeable people, as well as the Ritter Papers, now ensconced in the University of Utah's Marriott Library.

As she neared the end of her research in the 1980s, Cowley was stricken with Alzheimer's disease — so she and her family asked Parker Nielson, an old friend and a lawyer, to complete the book she had planned. Nielson had one advantage Cowley lacked — he had seen Ritter preside over his courtroom.

Odd as the beginnings of the book are, the result is welcome indeed. And it is bound to be interesting not only to lawyers who knew Ritter, but to anyone who is interested in either the law or Utah history.

Ritter is portrayed here as an arresting character — a person who possessed both brilliance and idealism. But he also had character or personality flaws that caused him to do outrageous things.

Here is a typical anecdote: Ritter became good friends with George Lamb, founder of Lamb's Cafe in Salt Lake City. In the 1950s, Lamb made Ted Speros a partner. One day, Ritter came in for lunch and invited a waitress to sit down. When she said she couldn't because "Ted would fire me," Ritter exploded with, "Who the hell is Ted?"

Speros overheard the conversation, came over and said, "I'm Ted!" They began to scream at each other: "Do you know who I am?" said Ritter. Speros responded, "I'm the boss. She can't sit down."

The next day, Ritter returned, ran into Lamb and asked, "Who's the boss?" Lamb, who had already heard the story, replied, "Ted." So Ritter said, "(Expletive) right! Ted's boss!"

Ritter was a Democrat and a champion of the common man, but he was also a self-important womanizer who often appeared to be a common drunk.

According to the authors, Ritter was so audacious and condescending that by the end of his life he had lost all his friends — and had become, for some at least, a tragic joke in the legal community.

The authors tell not only an anecdotal story but a candid one, with impressive documentation to support it.

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E-mail: dennis@desnews.com