Bill W.

Bill W.
Bill Wilson, date unknown
Born	William Griffith Wilson (1895-11-26)November 26, 1895 East Dorset, Vermont, U.S.
Died	January 24, 1971(1971-01-24) (aged 75) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Resting place	East Dorset Cemetery, East Dorset, Vermont 43°13′00″N 73°00′55″W / 43.216638°N 73.015148°W / 43.216638; -73.015148
Education	Norwich University
Occupation(s)	Salesman, military officer, activist
Known for	co-founding Alcoholics Anonymous
Spouse	Lois W. ​ (m. 1918)​
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Years	1916–1918
Rank	Second lieutenant
Unit	Vermont National Guard
Conflicts	Pancho Villa Expedition World War I

William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

AA is an international mutual aid fellowship with about two million members worldwide belonging to AA groups, associations, organizations, cooperatives, and fellowships of alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety.^[1] Following AA's Twelfth Tradition of anonymity, Wilson is commonly known as "Bill W." or "Bill". To identify each other, members of AA will sometimes ask others if they are "friends of Bill". After Wilson's death, and amidst controversy within the fellowship, his full name was included in obituaries by journalists who were unaware of the significance of maintaining anonymity within the organization.^[2]

Wilson's sobriety from alcohol, which he maintained until his death, began December 11, 1934.^[3] In 1955, Wilson turned over control of AA to a board of trustees. Wilson died in 1971 of emphysema from smoking tobacco complicated by pneumonia. In 1999, Time listed him as "Bill W.: The Healer" in the Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.^[4]