William Bemrose (1831–1908) was a writer on wood-carving and pottery, director of a printing business and Royal Crown Derby. He wrote and published a biography of Joseph Wright of Derby.
William Benjamin Carpenter CB FRS was an English physician, invertebrate zoologist, and physiologist. He was instrumental in the early stages of the unified University of London.
William Benjamin Smith was a professor of mathematics at Tulane University, best known as a proponent of the Christ myth theory.
William John Bennett is an American conservative politician and political commentator who served as secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H. W. Bush.
William Bernard McCabe (1801–1891) was an Irish author of historical romances. Born in Dublin, he worked as a journalist for local newspapers before moving to London in 1833. He was employed by The Morning Chronicle and The Morning Herald to provide coverage of parliamentary debates and to review new books. He published A Catholic History of England in 1847-54. McCabe's's historical novels include Florine, Princess of Burgundy (1855) and Adelaide, Queen of Italy (1856). After retiring, he settled in Brittany.
William Bernhardt is an American thriller/mystery/suspense fiction author best known for his "Ben Kincaid" series of books.
William Beveridge was an English writer and clergyman who served as Bishop of St Asaph from 1704 until his death.
William Bingley was an English cleric, naturalist and writer.
Sir William Blackstone was an English jurist, justice and Tory politician most noted for his Commentaries on the Laws of England, which became the best-known description of the doctrines of the English common law. Born into a middle-class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1738. After switching to and completing a Bachelor of Civil Law degree, he was made a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, on 2 November 1743, admitted to Middle Temple, and called to the Bar there in 1746. Following a slow start to his career as a barrister, Blackstone became heavily involved in university administration, becoming accountant, treasurer and bursar on 28 November 1746 and Senior Bursar in 1750. Blackstone is considered responsible for completing the Codrington Library and Warton Building, and simplifying the complex accounting system used by the college. On 3 July 1753 he formally gave up his practice as a barrister and instead embarked on a series of lectures on English law, the first of their kind. These were massively successful, earning him a total of £453, and led to the publication of An Analysis of the Laws of England in 1756, which repeatedly sold out and was used to preface his later works.
