William Thompson

Academics

• William Forde Thompson, Canadian psychologist
• William Hepworth Thompson, English classical scholar
• William Gilman Thompson, American professor of medicine
• William Oxley Thompson, president of Ohio State University
• William Hertzog Thompson, American psychology professor and minister
• William Irwin Thompson, American social philosopher and cultural critic
• William Robert Thompson, Canadian psychologist and behavior geneticist

Entertainment

• William Thompson (poet, born circa 1712), English poet
• William C. Thompson (cinematographer), American cinematographer
• William H. Thompson (actor),, American actor
• William Tappan Thompson, American humorist and journalist
• Will Lamartine Thompson, American composer

Military

• William Thompson (general), American Revolutionary War general
• William Thompson (Medal of Honor, 1861), signal quartermaster in the American Civil War
• William P. Thompson, American Civil War recipient of the Medal of Honor
• William Francis Kynaston Thompson, British officer who fought and was captured at Arnhem
• William Thompson (admiral), American admiral, former chief of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
• William Thompson (Medal of Honor, 1950), Korean War recipient of the Medal of Honor
• Frank Thompson (SOE officer), British officer who worked in Bulgaria in the Second World War
• James Thompson (VC), English recipient of the Victoria Cross

Politics

U.S.

• William Thompson (North Carolina politician), member of the North Carolina General Assembly
• William B. Thompson, Virginia farmer and politician
• William Thompson (Iowa politician), representative from Iowa
• William C. Thompson (New York), lawyer and state senator
• William F. Thompson, representative from Florida
• William George Thompson, representative from Iowa
• William G. Thompson, mayor of Detroit
• William Henry Thompson, senator from Nebraska
• William I. S. Thompson, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
• William Barlum Thompson, mayor of Detroit
• William T. Thompson (Nebraska politician), Nebraska Attorney General and Solicitor of the United States Treasury
• William Hale Thompson, mayor of Chicago
• William Howard Thompson, senator from Kansas
• W. Lair Thompson, American politician and lawyer from the state of Oregon
• William Carrington Thompson, American politician and jurist from Virginia
• William Thompson (New York), New York City Comptroller and Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City
• Bill Thompson (Arkansas politician), a state legislator in Arkansas

U.K.

• William Thompson (1614–1681), English Member of Parliament for the City of London
• William Thompson (Ipswich MP), English Member of Parliament for Ipswich
• William Thompson (died 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), Northern Ireland politician

Elsewhere

• William Thompson (Upper Canada)
• William Thompson (New South Wales politician), Australian politician
• William Thompson (Australian politician)
• William Murray Thompson, railway contractor and politician in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Science

• William Thompson (naturalist), Irish ornithologist and botanist
• William Thompson (viticulturist), Englishman who developed the Thompson Seedless grape
• William Wardlaw Thompson, South African ichthyologist and zoologist
• William Thompson (physician), physician, Registrar General for Ireland
• William A. Thompson, member of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers
• William Boyce Thompson, American mining engineer and financier
• William R. Thompson, Canadian entomologist
• William Francis Thompson (biologist), American ichthyologist
• William Lay Thompson, American ornithologist

Sports

• William Thompson (boxer), British prizefighter
• William Thompson (archer), American archer
• William V. Thompson, American bowler
• William Thompson (cricketer, born 1866), English first-class cricketer
• William Thompson (cricketer, born 1882), English cricketer
• William Thompson (Australian cricketer), Australian cricketer
• William Thompson (British Guiana cricketer), Guyanese cricketer
• William Thompson (rower), American Olympic rower
• William Thompson (footballer), Scottish footballer
• William Thompson (skier), Canadian Olympic skier
• Will Thompson (baseball), American baseball player

Other

• William Thompson (banker), Governor of the Bank of England from 1725 to 1727
• William Thompson (painter), Irish painter
• William Thompson (Methodist), first President of the Methodist Conference after Wesley's death
• William Thompson (philosopher), Irish political and philosophical writer and social reformer
• William Thompson (journalist), American Indian fighter and newspaper editor
• William Clyde Thompson, leader of the Mount Tabor Indian Community in Texas
• William Thompson (bishop), Anglican bishop of Persia
• William A. Thompson (bishop), Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Western Anglicans
• William Thompson (archdeacon of Cork)
• William Thompson (archdeacon of Wellington), Canadian Anglican priest
• William C. Thompson (New York judge), New York politician and judge
• William Paul Thompson, American serial killer
• William L. ("T") Thompson, pilot for Delta Air Lines, lawyer, and businessman
• William C. Thompson (Alabama judge), judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
• William Harvey Thompson, prohibition enforcement agent in Seattle, Washington
• William Thompson (confidence man), American criminal
• William S. Thompson, American judge in West Virginia
• William Francis Thompson (1810-42), civil servant, magistrate and philatelist
• William Thompson, also known as Wiremu Tamihana, Maori preacher