William Foster may refer to:
People
editArts
edit- Will Foster (fl. 1990–), keyboardist for English rock band The Tears
- William C. Foster (1880–1923), pioneer of cinematography
- William D. Foster (1884–?), African American film producer
- William Gilbert Foster (1855–1906), British painter
Military
edit- William Foster (British Army officer) (1881–1942), British Home Guard officer, awarded the George Cross, 1942
- William Foster (Medal of Honor) (1832–1880), American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
- William A. Foster (1917–1945), United States Marine, Medal of Honor recipient, killed in action during World War II
- William Foster MacNeece Foster, Royal Air Force officer
Politics
edit- William Foster (New South Wales politician, born 1865) (1865–1936), member of NSW Legislative Assembly (1925–1936)
- William Foster (New South Wales politician, born 1794) (1793/4–1866), member of the NSW Legislative Council (1843–1845)
- William John Foster (1831–1909), member of the NSW Legislative Council & Legislative Council, Attorney-General and Supreme Court judge
- William Foster (New Hampshire politician), New Hampshire politician
- William Foster (New York state senator) (1813–1893), New York politician
- William Foster (British politician) (1887–1947), British Labour Party MP for Wigan, 1942–1947
- William Henry Foster (Lancaster MP) (1848–1908), MP for Lancaster 1895–1900
- William Henry Foster (Bridgnorth MP) (1846–1924), British Member of Parliament (MP) for Bridgnorth 1870–1885
- William Orme Foster (1814–1899), British Whig MP for South Staffordshire, 1857–1868
- William W. Foster (1922–2000), Pennsylvania politician
- William Z. Foster (1881–1961), Chairman of the Communist Party USA
Religion
edit- William Foster (bishop) (1744–1797), Irish bishop
- William Foster (divine) (1591–16??), English divine
Sport
edit- William Foster (English cricketer) (1859–1944), English cricketer
- William Foster (Scottish cricketer) (born 1934), Scottish cricketer
- William Foster (swimmer) (1890–1963), British Olympic freestyle swimmer
- William Foster (footballer), English footballer
Other
edit- William Foster (historiographer) (1863–1951), British historiographer and Superintendent of Records at the India office
- William Foster (Iowa architect) (1842–1909), architect in Iowa, United States
- William Chapman Foster (1897–1984), American businessman and government official
- William Dewey Foster (1890–1958), American architect, designer of post offices and government buildings
- William H. Foster (1847–1886), British-born American labor union leader
- William P. Foster (1919–2010), creator of the Florida A&M University Marching 100 marching band
- William P. Foster (jurist), American jurist from Virginia
- William Trufant Foster (1879–1950), United States educator and economist, first president of Reed College
- William Wasbrough Foster (1875–1954), Canadian mountaineer, politician, business man, and chief constable
- William Foster (British architect) (1876–1940), British architect
- William Alexander Foster (1840–1888), Canadian barrister and essayist
- William Barclay Foster (1779–1855), father of Stephen Foster and businessman
- William E. Foster (1851–1930), American librarian and author
- William Foster, captain of the Clotilda and last person to have imported slaves from Africa to the United States
Organizations
edit- William Foster & Co. Ltd, an agricultural machinery company, which built the first tanks (armored vehicles)
- William Foster Elementary School in Garfield Heights, Ohio named for William A. Foster, US. Marine
Fiction
edit- William Foster, a character portrayed by Michael Douglas in the 1993 movie Falling Down
- William Foster, a character portrayed by Keanu Reeves in the 2018 movie Replicas