Sir William Wellington Cairns, KCMG (3 March 1828 - 9 June 1888) was a British colonial administrator.

Cairns was born in Belfast, Ireland on 3 March 1828 (as indicated on his grave stone).

[1] He served in various senior colonial civil service posts in the British Empire including Trinidad,[2][3] moving due to health issues,[4] before being appointed Governor of Queensland in January 1875.

[6] Later reflections of his contributions to colonial public life were not considered highly: He subsequently returned to England where he died in London on 7 July 1888,[1][8][9] unmarried.

[10] He is buried in a modest grave against the east wall of Brompton Cemetery near the north-east corner with Anna Maria Cairns, his sister.