# William Thompson

William Thompson may refer to:

## Academics

* William Forde Thompson (fl. 2000s–2020s), Canadian psychologist
* William Hepworth Thompson (1810–1886), English classical scholar
* William Gilman Thompson (1856–1927), American professor of medicine
* William Oxley Thompson (1855–1933), president of Ohio State University
* William Hertzog Thompson (1895–1981), American psychology professor and minister
* William Irwin Thompson (1938–2020), American social philosopher and cultural critic
* William Robert Thompson (1923/4–1979), Canadian psychologist and behavior geneticist

## Entertainment

* William Thompson (poet, born circa 1712) (1712–1766), English poet
* William C. Thompson (cinematographer) (1899–1963), American cinematographer
* William H. Thompson (actor), (1852–1923), American actor
* William Tappan Thompson (1812–1882), American humorist and journalist
* Will Lamartine Thompson (1847–1909), American composer

## Military

* William Thompson (general) (1736–1781), American Revolutionary War general
* William Thompson (Medal of Honor, 1861) (1812–1872), signal quartermaster in the American Civil War
* William P. Thompson (1844–1864), American Civil War recipient of the Medal of Honor
* William Francis Kynaston Thompson (1909–1980), British officer who fought and was captured at Arnhem
* William Thompson (admiral) (1922–2018), American admiral, former chief of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
* William Thompson (Medal of Honor, 1950) (1927–1950), Korean War recipient of the Medal of Honor
* Frank Thompson (SOE officer) (William Frank Thompson, 1920–1944), British officer who worked in Bulgaria in the Second World War
* James Thompson (VC) (William James Thompson, 1830–1891), English recipient of the Victoria Cross

## Politics
### U.S.

* William Thompson (North Carolina politician) (1772–1802), member of the North Carolina General Assembly
* William B. Thompson (1797–?), Virginia farmer and politician
* William Thompson (Iowa politician) (1813–1897), representative from Iowa
* William C. Thompson (New York) (1924–2018), lawyer and state senator
* William F. Thompson (1852–?), representative from Florida
* William George Thompson (1830–1911), representative from Iowa
* William G. Thompson (1840–1904), mayor of Detroit
* William Henry Thompson (1853–1937), senator from Nebraska
* William I. S. Thompson (1936–1993), member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
* William Barlum Thompson (1860–1941), mayor of Detroit
* William T. Thompson (Nebraska politician) (1860–1939), Nebraska Attorney General and Solicitor of the United States Treasury
* William Hale Thompson (1868–1944), mayor of Chicago
* William Howard Thompson (1871–1928), senator from Kansas
* W. Lair Thompson (1880–1940), American politician and lawyer from the state of Oregon
* William Carrington Thompson (1915–2011), American politician and jurist from Virginia
* William Thompson (New York) (born 1953), New York City Comptroller and Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City
* Bill Thompson (Arkansas politician) (died 1981), a state legislator in Arkansas

### U.K.

* William Thompson (died 1637), MP for Scarborough
* William Thompson (1614–1681), English Member of Parliament for the City of London
* William Thompson (1629–1692), English Member of Parliament for Scarborough
* William Thompson (Ipswich MP) (1678–1739), English Member of Parliament for Ipswich
* William Thompson (died 1744) (c.1680–1744), British Whig politician, MP for Scarborough 1701–1722 and 1730–1744
* William Thompson (1792–1854), MP for Callington, London, Sunderland and Westmorland, also Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London
* William Thompson (Ulster Unionist politician) (1939–2010), Northern Ireland politician

### Elsewhere

* William Thompson (Upper Canada) (1786–1860)
* William Thompson (New South Wales politician) (1862–1937), Australian politician
* William Thompson (Australian politician) (1863–1953)
* William Murray Thompson (1841–1912), railway contractor and politician in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

## Science

* William Thompson (naturalist) (1805–1852), Irish ornithologist and botanist
* William Thompson (viticulturist) (1816–1897), Englishman who developed the Thompson Seedless grape
* William Wardlaw Thompson (died 1917), South African ichthyologist and zoologist
* William Thompson (physician) (1861–1926), physician, Registrar General for Ireland
* William A. Thompson (1864–1925), member of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers
* William B. Thompson (1922–1995), British plasma physicist
* William Boyce Thompson (1869–1930), American mining engineer and financier
* William R. Thompson (1887–1972), Canadian entomologist
* William Francis Thompson (biologist) (1888–1965), American ichthyologist
* William Lay Thompson (1930–2016), American ornithologist

## Sports

* William Thompson (boxer) (1811–1880), British prizefighter
* William Thompson (archer) (1848–1918), American archer
* William V. Thompson (1865–1938), American bowler
* William Thompson (cricketer, born 1866) (1866–1920), English first-class cricketer
* Willie Thompson (William Pringle Thompson, 1867–1928), English footballer, played for Newcastle United in the 1890s
* William Thompson (cricketer, born 1882) (1882–1954), English cricketer
* William Thompson (Australian cricketer) (born 1891, date of death unknown), Australian cricketer
* William Thompson (British Guiana cricketer) (born 1888, date of death unknown), Guyanese cricketer
* William Thompson (rower) (1908–1956), American Olympic rower
* William Thompson (footballer) (1868–?), Scottish footballer
* William Thompson (skier) (1905–1994), Canadian Olympic skier
* Will Thompson (baseball) (1870–1962), American baseball player

## Other

* William Thompson (banker) (fl. 1720s), Governor of the Bank of England from 1725 to 1727
* William Thompson (Methodist) (1733–1799), first President of the Methodist Conference after Wesley's death
* William Thompson (philosopher) (1775–1833), Irish political and philosophical writer and social reformer
* William Thompson (journalist) (1846–1934), American Indian fighter and newspaper editor
* William Clyde Thompson (1839–1912), leader of the Mount Tabor Indian Community in Texas
* William Thompson (bishop) (1885–1975), Anglican bishop of Persia (Iran)
* William A. Thompson (bishop) (1946-2020), Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Western Anglicans (U.S.)
* William Thompson (archdeacon of Cork) (1766–1833)
* William Thompson (archdeacon of Wellington) (fl. 1944–1954), Canadian Anglican priest
* William C. Thompson (New York judge) (1924–2018), New York politician and judge
* William Paul Thompson (1937–1989), American serial killer
* William L. ("T") Thompson (born 1951), pilot for Delta Air Lines, lawyer, and businessman
* William C. Thompson (Alabama judge) (born 1962), judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
* William Harvey Thompson (died 1927), prohibition enforcement agent in Seattle, Washington
* William Thompson (confidence man) (fl. 1840s), American criminal
* William S. Thompson (born 1969), American judge in West Virginia
* William Thompson (pirate), ship captain who stole the Treasure of Lima c. 1820
* William Francis Thompson (1810-42), civil servant, magistrate and philatelist
* William Thompson (1805–1866), also known as Wiremu Tamihana, Maori preacher