W. DeVier Pierson Jr.

W. DeVier Pierson, Jr., a Washington, DC attorney known for his outstanding analytical, oral argument, and legal writing skills, died peacefully from natural causes at his home in Chevy Chase, MD on April 21. He was 90.

DeVier was born to W. DeVier and Frances (née Ratliff) Pierson on August 12, 1931, in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He moved at a very young age to Oklahoma City and described his boyhood as one “growing up in the Great Depression, but never knowing it.” He remembered from his adolescence the attack on Pearl Harbor, the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

DeVier was a product of the Oklahoma City public school system. He attended Lincoln Grade School, Webster Junior High, and Classen High School. At Webster, he won oratorical contests and became an Eagle Scout. At Classen, he was a member of the Oklahoma state championship debate team, won the national extemporaneous speaking championship, and was elected President of the student body.

DeVier graduated from the University of Oklahoma and, following two years of military service in Korea, received an LLB from the OU College of Law. While at OU, he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif, and the National Championship Moot Court Team.

DeVier was a lawyer by training and inclination. For over half a century, he served as counsel to a highly diverse set of clients, including one President of the United States, the US Congress, two sovereign nations, a high government official facing charges of criminal activity, several large public companies having problems with the federal government, and other private companies who were feeling the impact of major economic issues.

He began the practice of law in Oklahoma City in 1957 and had an active litigation practice. In 1965, he and his family moved to Washington, DC, while DeVier became Chief Counsel to a special Senate-House committee, chaired by Oklahoma Senator Mike Monroney, to improve the functioning of the United States Congress. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed DeVier Special Counsel to the President and Counselor of the White House, where he participated in the implementation of the Great Society, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other matters requiring Executive legal action.

After public service, DeVier spent over 40 years in Washington practicing law at Pierson Semmes & Bemis and its predecessor law firms. DeVier never sought to be a lobbyist – with its requisite political fundraisers every night – and wanted his law practice based upon what he knew, rather than who he knew. He was lead counsel in matters before the US Supreme Court, five federal Courts of Appeals, several federal and state trial courts, and an international tribunal at The Hague. Among his many law cases, DeVier served as lead plaintiff counsel in the successful Tulsa, Oklahoma jury trial of Occidental v. Chevron, which following lengthy trial and appellate review, was settled for a judgment of $775 million, the largest awarded in Oklahoma history.

DeVier never completely retired and maintained a love of the law and learning his entire life. He deeply cared for his country, serving on various Presidential commissions on foreign policy and trade. He was Vice Chairman of the Atlantic Council, a prominent foreign policy think tank, taking part in task forces on China, Ukraine, the Middle East, and Global Energy.

DeVier stayed faithful to his Oklahoma roots and was especially active in the affairs of the University of Oklahoma. He served as Co-Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the College of Law, Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the Honors College, and member of the Board of Visitors of the College of International Studies. He served for ten years as a Trustee of the University of Oklahoma Foundation and received the Oklahoma Regents’ Award for establishing a Pierson Professorship there. In 2002, DeVier was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was elected as a charter member of the Order of the Owl, the College of Law Hall of Fame.

DeVier considered the greatest honor of his life to be his marriage of 65 years to Shirley Frost Pierson, who survives him, along with his three children, Jeffrey Pierson, Elizabeth Frost Sainty, and Stephen Pierson; six grandchildren, George Sainty, Alexander Pierson, Julian Sainty, Clara Pierson, Lucy McGraw-Pierson, and Arabella Sainty; extended family member Estela Urquizu, and many other cherished friends. He was adored by his family for his wisdom, kindness, and wry sense of humor – and for never being too busy to listen to anyone.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, April 29, 2022, at National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016.