William Alfred Buckingham (May 28, 1804 – February 5, 1875) was an American politician who served as the governor of Connecticut during the Civil War and later as a United States senator.

[2] Buckingham entered into a career in the mercantile industry, and in 1848 helped to organize the Hayward Rubber Company, a business that developed into a successful enterprise.

During his tenure, he dealt successfully with the effects of an economic panic that occurred in the state and with the outbreak of the Civil war.

Before the General Assembly appropriated $2 million for military expenses, Buckingham had begun borrowing money in his own name to finance Connecticut's war efforts.

[5] Buckingham declined renomination in 1866, and after leaving office, was elected to the U.S. Senate on March 4, 1869, and served until his death on February 5, 1875.

A street and school are named in his honor in Norwich, and a statue of him is inside the State Capitol Building in Hartford.