title: William Burns
text: # William Burns
  
  William, Will, or Willie Burns may refer to:
  
  ## Politics and law
  
  * William Burns (Scottish historian) (1809–1876), Scottish lawyer and historian
  * William D. Burns (born 1973), Illinois state representative
  * W. Haydon Burns (1912–1987), governor of Florida
  * William Herbert Burns (1878–1964), Canadian politician, merchant, and Olympic curling champion
  * William J. Burns (1861–1932), American director of the Bureau of Investigation (predecessor to the FBI) 1921–1924
  * William J. Burns (diplomat) (born 1956), CIA director and former United States Deputy Secretary of State
  * William L. Burns (1913–2005), member of the New York State Assembly
  
  ## Sports
  
  * William Burns (cricketer) (1883–1916), English cricketer
  * William Burns (lacrosse) (1875–1953), Canadian Olympic lacrosse player
  * William Burns (referee) (1952–2019), English football referee
  * Tosher Burns (William Burns, 1902–1984), Irish international footballer of the 1920s
  * Will Burns (racing driver) (born 1990), British racing driver
  * Willie Burns (1916–1966), American Negro league baseball player
  
  ## Others
  
  * William Burns (saddler) (1769–1790), brother of Robert Burns the poet
  * William Chalmers Burns (1815–1868), Scottish evangelist and missionary
  * William Wallace Burns (1825–1892), American soldier
  * William Burns (died 1907), victim of lynching in Cumberland, Maryland
  