Named in honor of William F. Vilas of Madison. A native of Vermont (1840), he removed to Wisconsin in 1851, and was graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1858. During the War of Secession he attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel; was postmaster-general of the United States (1885-88) ; secretary of the interior (1888-91) ; and United States senator (1891-97). He died in August, 1908, leaving to his alma mater the bulk of his large fortune.

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[Source: Kellogg, Louise Phelps. "Derivation of County Names" in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for 1909, pages 219-231.]