William Heiskell

William Heiskell
Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives
In office
1865–1867
Preceded byEdwin A. Keeble
Succeeded byF. S. Richardson
Personal details
Born1788
Hagerstown, Maryland, United States
DiedSeptember 9, 1871
Knoxville, Tennessee
Resting placeOld Gray Cemetery
Knoxville, Tennessee
Political partyWhig Party
Know Nothing
SpouseJulia Gahagan
RelationsFrederick Heiskell (brother)
Joseph B. Heiskell (nephew)
OccupationPlanter

William Heiskell (1788 September 9, 1871) was an American politician, active primarily in Tennessee, in the mid-19th century. He served a tumultuous term as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives in the months following the Civil War, where he opposed the radical agenda of Governor William G. Brownlow, most notably refusing to sign the state house's ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1866. A Whig, he had previously served a single term in the Tennessee House, from 1849 to 1851.

Heiskell opposed secession and supported the Union during the Civil War. He represented Monroe County at the East Tennessee Convention in 1861.