William Lawrence Saunders (November 1, 1856 - June 25, 1931) was a mining engineer who was chairman of the Naval Consulting Board during World War I.

[1][2] He was born in 1856 to Reverend William Trebell Saunders and Eliza S. Morton in Columbus, Georgia.

His family moved to Apalachicola, Florida, where his father became the pastor of the Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church.

[3] On March 24, 1904, he was made president of the Ingersoll Sergeant Drill Company after the death of William Russell Grace.

The Saunders Gold Medal, established in 1927, recognizes distinguished achievement in mining other than coal.