His tendency to use the state's political machinery to advance his personal agenda earned him the nicknames "Boss Bill", "the Kenton King", "Kenton Czar", "King William I", and "William the Conqueror".
他利用州政治机器推进个人议程的倾向也让人对他冠之以“法案老板”（Boss Bill）、“肯顿国王”（Kenton King）、“肯顿沙皇”（Kenton Czar）、“威廉一世国王”（King William I）和“征服者威廉”（William the Conqueror）的绰号。