William Paine Lord (July 20, 1838 – February 17, 1911) was an American Republican politician who served as the 9th governor of Oregon from 1895 to 1899.

Before he could continue further into his studies, Lord volunteered for military service in the American Civil War, advancing to the rank of Major in the 1st Delaware Cavalry in the Union Army of the Potomac.

Once the war ended, Lord continued in law school at Albany College in New York, graduating there in 1866.

He resigned his Senate seat for a successful run as the Republican nominee for Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

He accepted the Republican nomination for the 1894 Oregon governor's race, stepping down from the court after his gubernatorial election victory.

Lord lost his bid for a second term, in the closely fought 1898 primary election campaign against fellow Republican Theodore T. Geer.

Shortly after leaving the Governor's Office, Lord was appointed the U.S. Minister (Ambassador) to Argentina by the McKinley Administration.