Vance was born in Cokesbury in Greenwood County in western [[South Carolina]]. His father, J. K. Vance, a military officer, was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives prior to the [[American Civil War]]. Vance received a bachelor's degree from the University of Edinburgh in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]], where he was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sAITAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=William+W.+Vance+of+Bossier+Parish,+LA&source=bl&ots=AKaGu-XILc&sig=RpWyQqSX0itc-DfBBTVX19NTEao&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DVUVVaKaAcGvggSWoISQDw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=William%20W.%20Vance%20of%20Bossier%20Parish%2C%20LA&f=false | Vance was born in Cokesbury in Greenwood County in western [[South Carolina]]. His father, J. K. Vance, a military officer, was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives prior to the [[American Civil War]]. Vance received a bachelor's degree from the University of Edinburgh in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]], where he was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sAITAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=William+W.+Vance+of+Bossier+Parish,+LA&source=bl&ots=AKaGu-XILc&sig=RpWyQqSX0itc-DfBBTVX19NTEao&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DVUVVaKaAcGvggSWoISQDw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=William%20W.%20Vance%20of%20Bossier%20Parish%2C%20LA&f=false |