William Augustus Norton (October 25, 1810 – September 21, 1883) was a civil engineer and educator.

He was the president of Delaware College and later a founding faculty member of the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University.

[1] Norton graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1831 and began his academic career there as assistant professor of natural and experimental philosophy.

[1] In 1833, he became professor of natural philosophy and astronomy at the University of the City of New York.

[2] He had planned to turn the school into a scientific institution but was discouraged and left in 1850, to become professor of natural philosophy and civil engineering at Brown University.