William Embry Wrather (January 20, 1883 – November 28, 1963) was an American petroleum and economic geologist who served in various administrative roles including as director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

William Embry Wrather was born on January 20, 1883, on a farm near Brandenburg in Meade County, Kentucky.

William began studying law at the University of Chicago in 1903, though professor Rollin D. Salisbury encouraged him to pursue science.

Prior to starting in this position, Calkins had sent Wrather a letter that "[specified] the conditions of his employment and [warned] that the work was rigorous and no nonsense would be tolerated.

Wrather moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma and did clerical work, but soon found a job as a scout for the Beaumont, Texas–based J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company (later to become part of Gulf Oil).

The National Academy of Sciences recommended Wrather to the position,[1] and he was brought in as director of the U.S. Geological Survey.