Daniel Wannamaker was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1958. In 1968, his family relocated to Houston, Texas. Daniel Wannamaker graduated from the University of Texas, at Austin, in 1981, receiving a Liberal Arts degree in both Government and Philosophy.

Mr. Daniel Wannamaker received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in 1984. While attending law school, he clerked for Mr. Ken J. McLean, a prominent Houston criminal attorney. It is while working for Mr. McLean that he realized his passion for criminal law.