William Cassady Cattell D.D., LL.D (August 30, 1827 – February 11, 1898) was a Presbyterian divine and educator of the United States and the 7th president of Lafayette College.

[2] Cattell started his schooling in Salem before studying for two years in Virginia under his older brother, Thomas, who later became a professor at Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

[1][2] With the onset of the American Civil War, Lafayette College saw a drastic reduction in its student population, and therefore struggled financially to stay afloat.

[3] In 1863, nearing bankruptcy, the college's board of trustees reached out to Cattell, then practicing in Harrisburg, asking him to return to the school in an effort to save it from economic ruin.

In 1864, less than a year after his inauguration, Cattell secured a $20,000 gift (equivalent to $317,173 in 2023 dollars),[6] from coal magnate Ario Pardee, which lead the charge for more donations to bring the college's assets from $40,000 to almost $900,000.

[7] In 1884 he became the Secretary of the Board of Ministerial Relief of the Presbyterian Church, which led him to travel the country raising money for widows, orphans, and other suffering individuals.