William Lambdin Prather (May 1, 1848 – July 24, 1905) was an American lawyer.

Prather was born near Paris, Tennessee, in 1848, and moved to Texas with his family in 1854.

He attended Washington and Lee University from 1867 to 1871, earning a Bachelor of Laws degree.

[1][2][3][4] Prather introduced the phrase "the eyes of Texas are upon you" when speaking to students, an expression that was once credited to a similar expression by Lee but now believed to be inspired by a quote from Confederate general John Gregg.

He received honorary law degrees from Washington and Lee in 1900 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1901.