William J. Whelan (1887 – 13 March 1960) was an Irish trade union leader.
He was educated at a Christian Brothers School, then completed an apprenticeship as a printer before working on the Irish Weekly Independent (successor of The Nation), followed by the Irish Daily Independent.
[1] In 1909, Whelan attended the meeting which refounded the Dublin Typographical Provident Society as a trade union.
In 1921, he left the Independent to become general secretary of the union.
[1] Whelan announced that he would retire in June 1960, but he died in March that year.