William B. Derrick (July 27, 1843 – April 15, 1913) was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) bishop and missionary.

He enlisted as a sailor from 1861 to 1864. and served on the Minnesota, the flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron, during the battle of the Merrimac and the Monitor.

[4] In 1866, he joined the AME church under John M. Brown, who licensed him to preach and act as a missionary agent, roles which he held until 1867.

Finding himself on the losing end, he resigned his charge in Virginia, touring the West Indies with his wife before returning to ministry in New York State.

[4] In 1889, AME district bishop Benjamin Tucker Tanner was focused on missionary work in Haiti.

Derrick had been providing money to the Haitian mission in cash, which was not inherently problematic but could have potentially led to the misuse of funds.

Tanner was initially reluctant to mediate the dispute, but Derrick improved his standing in the eyes of AME leaders over the next few years, and the two reconciled.

In June 1884 he was nominated a presidential elector-at-large for the Republican State Committees with the support of Cornelius Van Cott, but he declined after questions arose to his citizenship, although he had taken an oath and became a citizen when he enlisted in the navy 23 years earlier.

[1] Derrick purchased interest in the New York Globe from George Parker in November 1884 with a goal of making it a more thoroughly Republican paper.

[8] In September 1892, Derrick gave a speech at a meeting of Wong Chin Foo's Chinese Equal Rights League opposing the Geary Act.

[10] Derrick was selected to deliver a sermon and prayer prior to the dedicatory address at the 1893 Grand Army of the Republic reunion at the dedication of the statue of Victory at the New York State monument at the Gettysburg Battlefield.