William A. Guthrie

William Anderson Guthrie (February 6, 1846 – October 14, 1916) was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Chatham County, North Carolina, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After the war, Guthrie married and moved to Fayetteville to practice law. He located his practice to Durham in 1884.

Guthrie was initially a member of the Republican Party, but left and joined the Populist Party after it formed in the 1890s. In 1896 the Populists nominated him as their candidate for that year's gubernatorial election. Shortly thereafter, Populist leaders reached a deal with North Carolina Republicans to combine their state tickets in a Fusionist coalition to defeat Democrats. Despite this, both parties continued to formally back their own gubernatorial candidates. Guthrie was opposed to Fusion and focused his campaign around support for free silver and other national issues, largely resembling the style of the Democratic candidate in the race. Feeling rejected by his own party and wary of a Republican victory, Guthrie endorsed the Democrat late in the campaign and urged Populists to fuse with the Democratic ticket. The Populist vote split in the election, with the Republican winning and Guthrie placing third, earning a majority in only one county. He joined the Democratic Party in 1898 but spent most of his later life focused on his law practice.