# William Wilson

William Wilson, or variants, may refer to:

## Politicians
### American

* Bill Wilson (activist) (born 1953), small government activist
* Bill Wilson (Montana politician) (born 1961), Montana state representative
* W. Eugene Wilson (William Eugene Wilson, 1929–2015), member of the North Carolina General Assembly
* Will Wilson (Texas politician) (1912–2005), American politician, attorney, and judge in Texas
* William A. Wilson (diplomat) (1914–2009), first U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See
* William B. Wilson (1862–1934), U.S. (Scottish-born) labor leader and political figure
** SS William B. Wilson, a Liberty ship
* William C. Wilson (New York politician), New York comptroller in 1906
* William E. Wilson (Indiana politician) (1870–1948), U.S. Representative from Indiana
* William H. Wilson (New York politician) (c. 1873–1901), New York assemblyman
* William H. Wilson (1877–1937), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1935–1937
* William K. Wilson (1817–1898), Wisconsin state senator
* William Lyne Wilson (1843–1900), United States Postmaster General
* William Sydney Wilson (1816–1862), Confederate politician
* William T. Wilson (born 1937), member of the Virginia House of Delegates
* William Warfield Wilson (1868–1942), U.S. Representative from Illinois
* William Wilson (Iowa politician) (1820–1900), Iowa state senator
* William M. Wilson (politician) (1838–1904), Iowa state senator
* William Wilson (Ohio politician) (1773–1827), U.S. Representative from Ohio
* William Wilson (Pennsylvania politician), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1815–1819
* William Wilson (Wisconsin politician), Wisconsin state senator
* Bill Wilson, mayor of Santa Clara, California, founder of the Bill Wilson Center for homeless youth

### British

* William Wilson (died 1582), MP for Southwark
* William Wilson (1720–1796), British Member of Parliament for Ilchester, 1761–1768
* William Wilson (Donegal MP) (1836–1876), MP for Donegal 1876–1879
* William Wilson (Westhoughton MP) (1855–1921), British trade unionist and Member of Parliament for Westhoughton
* William Wilson (Coventry MP) (1913–2010), British Labour Member of Parliament, 1964–1983
* Bill Wilson (Scottish politician) (William L. Wilson, born 1963), Scottish nationalist
* William Wilson, prime minister of the micronation Austenasia

### Canadian

* Bill Wilson (chief) (1944–2025), hereditary chief and politician in British Columbia
* William Wilson (British Columbia politician) (1838–1922), merchant and politician in British Columbia
* William Wilson (New Brunswick politician) (1845–1921), Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
* William Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1789–1847), politician in Upper Canada
* William Wallace Wilson (1876–1967), Alberta politician
* William Wilber Wilfred Wilson (1885–1964), Canadian politician

### Australian

* William Wilson (Queensland politician) (1832–1903), member of the Queensland Legislative Council
* William Wilson (Victorian politician) (1834–1891), member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and Council

### New Zealand

* William Wilson (mayor) (1819–1897), first mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand, 1868

## Sports
### Association football

* William Wilson (defender), English footballer for Newcastle United and Bradford City
* William Wilson (footballer, born 1902) (1902–?), English footballer
* William Wilson (footballer, born 1915) (1915–?), English footballer
* William Wilson (footballer, born November 1915) (1915–?), English footballer
* William Wilson (footballer, born 1921), Scottish football goalkeeper for Queen of the South and Third Lanark
* William Wilson (soccer, born 2001), Australian soccer player
* Billy Wilson (footballer, born 1896) (1896–1996), English footballer
* Billy Wilson (footballer, born 1936), Northern Irish football player for Burnley
* Billy Wilson (footballer, born 1946) (1946–2018), English footballer
* Billy Wilson (American soccer) (fl. 1920s–30s), American soccer player
* Billy Wilson (Scottish footballer), played for Airdrieonians FC and managed Albion Rovers F.C.
* Willie Wilson (footballer, born 1894) (1894–1956), Scottish footballer, played for Hearts and Cowdenbeath
* Willie Wilson (footballer, born 1941) (1941–2001), Scottish footballer
* Willie Wilson (footballer, born 1972), Scottish footballer

### Baseball

* William Wilson (baseball), American baseball player
* Will Wilson (baseball) (born 1998), American baseball player
* Willie Wilson (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball outfielder
* Willy Wilson (baseball) (1884–1925), baseball player
* Bill Wilson (catcher) (1867–1924), MLB catcher
* Bill Wilson (outfielder) (1928–2017), MLB outfielder
* Bill Wilson (pitcher) (1942–1993), Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher
* Mookie Wilson (William Hayward Wilson, born 1956), MLB outfielder
* Mutt Wilson (William Clarence Wilson, 1896–1962), MLB pitcher

### Cricket

* William Wilson (Australian sportsman) (1909–1976), Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer for Essendon
* William Wilson (cricketer, born 1912) (c. 1912—death unknown), Australian cricketer
* William Wilson (South African cricketer) (1925-2005), South African cricketer
* Billy Wilson (cricketer) (1868–1920), Australian cricketer

### Rugby

* Billy Wilson (Australian rugby league) (1927–1993), Australian rugby league footballer
* Billy Wilson (New Zealand rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1910s, and 1920s for New Zealand, Wellington and Athletic
* Will Wilson (rugby union) (born 1997), English rugby union and rugby sevens player

### Other sports

* William Wilson (aquatics) (1844–1912), Scottish writer on swimming, and the inventor of water polo
* Billy Wilson (running back), college football player
* Billy Wilson (Australian rules footballer) (1891–1957), Australian footballer for Fitzroy
* William Wilson (field hockey) (1917–1984), American Olympic hockey player
* William George Wilson (1917–2007), sports cinematographer
* Willie Wilson (speedway rider) (1923–2016), Scottish speedway rider
* Bill Wilson (footballer) (1924–1969), Australian rules footballer for Richmond and Glenelg
* Billy Wilson (wide receiver) (1927–2009), NFL wide receiver
* William Wilson (swimmer) (born 1964), Filipino swimmer
* Willy Wilson (born 1980), Filipino basketball player
* William Wilson (wrestler), (1887–1955), British Olympic wrestler

## Arts and entertainment

* William Wilson (architect) (1641–1710), English architect, builder and sculptor
* William Wilson (poet) (1801–1860), Scottish-American poet, bookseller and publisher
* W. J. Wilson (William John Wilson, 1833–1909), actor, scene painter and stage manager
* William Hardy Wilson (1881–1955), Australian architect, artist and author
* William Wilson (artist) (1905–1972), Scottish stained glass artist, printmaker and watercolours
* William E. Wilson (photographer) (1853–1905), English portrait photographer
* William E. Wilson (writer) (1906–1988), American author and professor, son of the Indiana politician
* William Scott Wilson (born 1944), author and translator of samurai literature
* Will Wilson (artist) (born 1957), American painter of portraits, illustrations and trompe-l'œil works
* Will Wilson (photographer) (born 1969), Native American photographer
* William Wilson (vocalist), lead singer of Legion Within
* William Llewellyn Wilson, conductor, musician, teacher and music educator from Baltimore
* Willie Wilson (drummer) (born 1947), member of Quiver; worked with Pink Floyd, Al Stewart

## Business

* William Proctor Wilson (1921–2010), president of Buttrick Publishing Company
* Willie Wilson (businessman) (born 1948), Chicago businessman, musician, philanthropist, and political candidate
* William Willson (businessman) (died 2015), chairman of Aston Martin, 1972–1975
* W. R. Wilson (c. 1849–1900), an Australian businessman with extensive interests in mining and a racehorse owner and breeder
* William Wilson, businessman, founder of Price's Candles
* Bill Wilson, founder of US firearms manufacturer Wilson Combat

## Law and crime

* Billy Wilson (outlaw) (1862–1918), American outlaw who rode with Billy the Kid
* Bill Wilson (convict) (1880–19??), convicted of murdering two individuals who were later found alive
* Billy Roy Wilson (William Roy Wilson Jr., born 1939), United States federal judge
* William Wilson (Illinois jurist) (1794–1857), Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
* Bill Wilson (judge), New Zealand judge of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal
* William C. Wilson (judge) (1812–1882), Vermont lawyer and judge
* William Adam Wilson (1928–1994), professor of Scots Law at Edinburgh University
* William Rae Wilson (1772–1849), Scottish lawyer and travel writer
* William Robert Wilson (born c. 1940), Australian murderer involved in the 1976 Spring Hill shooting

## Military

* Sir William Deane Wilson (1843–1921), British army surgeon-general
* William Wilson (Medal of Honor) (1847–1895), one of nineteen people to receive the Medal of Honor twice
* William Othello Wilson (1867–1928), member of the US Army's 9th Cavalry, and recipient of the Medal of Honor
* William Tecumseh Wilson (1823–1905), American Union brevet brigadier general from Ohio
* William Wilson (Zouave) (1823–1874), American Union brevet brigadier general from New York
* William Wilson (Commodore) (1715-1795), Commodore of the East India Company

## Religion

* William Wilson (priest) (1545–1615), Canon of Windsor
* William Wilson (Secession minister) (1690-1741), co-founder of the Secession Church
* William Carus Wilson (1791–1859), English churchman and founder and editor of The Children's Friend
* William Wilson (bishop) (1806–1888), Anglican bishop in Scotland
* William Wilson (Dundee minister) (1808–1888) Presbyterian minister, moderator of the Free Church
* William Hay Wilson (1864–1935), Anglican priest
* William C. Wilson (minister) (1866–1915), General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene
* William Lyall Wilson (1866–1914), minister of the Church of Scotland
* Bill Wilson (pastor) (born 1948), president and founder of Metro Ministries International
* William Wilson (American academic) (born 1958), theologian affiliated with Oral Roberts University
* William Wilson (Dean of Cloyne), Dean of Cloyne, 1908–1934
* William Croft Wilson, American Congregational minister

## Science

* William Wilson (botanist) (1799–1871), English botanist
* William James Erasmus Wilson (1809–1884), physician and surgeon
* William Edward Wilson (astronomer) (1851–1908), Irish astronomer
* William Parkinson Wilson (1826–1874), English astronomer and professor of mathematics
* William Wilson (English academic) (1875–1965), English physicist
* William Wilson (physicist) (1887–1948), English-born physicist
* William Hawkins Wilson (1866–1956), British physiologist
* William L. Wilson (nanoscientist), American scientist

## Others

* William "Amos" Wilson (1762–1821), folklore figure of southern Pennsylvania, referred to as "The Pennsylvania Hermit"
* William A. Wilson (folklorist) (1933–2016), studied and taught Mormon folklore
* Bill W. (William Griffith Wilson, 1895–1971), co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
* Edward Wilson (explorer) (1872–1912), known as Uncle Bill, Antarctic explorer
* William Wilson (engineer) (1809–1862), English railway pioneer in Germany
* William E. Wilson, British railway civil engineer, first employer of John Harry Grainger
* William Julius Wilson (born 1935), sociologist
* William L. Wilson (Rice University), professor of electrical engineering

## In fiction

* "William Wilson" (short story), an 1839 short story by Edgar Allan Poe
* "William Wilson", a song from The Smithereens' 1989 album 11
* Wilson the Wonder Athlete (William Wilson), a character in British story and comic papers published by D.C. Thomson
* Billy Wilson, a character in Angels with Broken Wings
* Agent Bill Wilson, also known as CIA, a character in The Dark Knight Rises