Sir William Stapleton, 1st Baronet

Sir William Stapleton Bt
Governor of the Leeward Islands
In office 1671–1686
Monarch	Charles II
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Nathaniel Johnson
Personal details
Born	Unknown Ireland
Died	3 August 1686 Paris, France
Spouse	Anne Russell (m. 1671)
Children	James, William, Miles, and Mary
Military service
Allegiance	England
Branch/service	English Army

Sir William Stapleton, 1st Baronet (died 3 August 1686) was an Irish colonial administrator and planter who served as the governor of the Leeward Islands from 1671 to 1686, when he died in office. Born in Ireland to a family of Norman descent, William, as a Royalist during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, followed Charles II into exile in France.

Returning to England as part of the Stuart Restoration of 1660, William, as an English Army officer, travelled to the England's colonies in the West Indies, where he served as a prominent colonial official and married into a wealthy planter family, acquiring several slave plantations before dying in Paris in 1686.