Sir William Jackson, 1st Baronet (28 April 1805 – 31 January 1876) was an English industrialist, railway entrepreneur and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1847 and 1868.

His father was a surgeon, man-midwife and pharmacist and a respected member of the business community of Warrington, but died in 1811 leaving his large family impoverished.

He and his older brother, John Somerville Jackson, went into partnership and gradually bought up land in and around Birkenhead.

His interests diverged to Newspapers ( he was heavily involved in the London press at one time, collieries ( he went into partnership with Robert Stephenson on his project at Claycross in Derbyshire) and heavy industry (metal and locomotives, as well as into politics.

He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Cheshire in 1852 and was created baronet of the Manor House, Birkenhead in 1869 - he had been offered a peerage but had refused it (Hansards).

[6] He was in partnership with Thomas Brassey in building the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada in 1852 and was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

They had ten children: A descendant, via William Jackson (1832–1906), was the Formula One racing driver James Hunt.