William David Chappelle (November 16, 1857 – June 15, 1925) was an American educationalist and bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

[2][3] On March 13, 1918, Bishop Chappelle led a delegation from the bishops' council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to meet Democratic President Woodrow Wilson at the White House.

[4] After the death of his first wife, he married Rosina C. Palmer (also recorded as Rosena C. Palmer), who had contributed an essay as a young woman to what the Library of Congress describes as "a collection of essays by African American authors designed to encourage diligence, temperance, and religion among young African Americans.

"[5][6][7] His father-in-law was Robert John Palmer, one of South Carolina's black legislators during the Reconstruction era.

[8] One of his sons, W. D. Chappelle, Jr., was a physician and surgeon who opened the People's Infirmary around 1915, a small hospital and surgery practice in Columbia, South Carolina, during a time when segregation prevented many African Americans from having access to healthcare.